Raising Hairs with Drug Testing

Did you know that statistics show that 1 in 6 workers has a serious drug problem?  Of those, 44% admit to selling drugs to co-workers, and 18% admit to stealing from their employers.  Plus drug users are absent up to 16 times as much as non-users and cost businesses over 300% more in medical and insurance costs.

Many employers have in place good drug and alcohol testing programs.  However, most employers utilize only urine testing for all types of drug screens.

Should you consider hair testing?  Hair follicle testing is the fastest growing method of testing for the presence of drugs for job applicants.

Why is this?  First, drug metabolites will remain in hair follicles for up to 90 days.  Thus, temporary abstinence from drug use will not be effective to job seekers.  Nor are any washes or other external evasive procedures effective against hair follicle testing.

A study conducted by the National Department of Justice found that hair follicle testing was from 4 to 10 times as effective as random urine testing for detecting presence of drugs.

Second, in April 2004 the federal government approved hair and saliva testing as scientifically sound drug testing methods in federal programs.[1]  As a result, the top police departments in the country, as well as schools, transportation, and public employers now utilize hair follicle testing for all job applicants.

What does this mean for employers?  Using this method to screen applicants should root out those job seekers who avoid drug use for a short period in order to pass a urine test and get hired.  Hair testing is also less invasive than blood or urine testing.

Businesses should consider incorporating hair follicle testing as part of their workplace drug testing program to insure a zero tolerance for drugs in their operations.