drug testing
Could fingerprints be the next leading method for drug testing?
The FBI has a fingerprint database for conducting federal criminal background checks, and plenty of organizations and employers require their employees and volunteers to be fingerprinted as a way to ensure the workers do not have criminal records. But can fingerprint background checks be used for anything besides criminal records? A new study shows they…
Read More3 ways businesses can benefit from drug testing
see improvements in your company by drug testing, from a former human resources manager and director. Find better workers. When word gets around that your company conducts drug tests, you’re automatically able to screen out potential employees that won’t be able to pass drug tests — because they are less likely to apply for jobs…
Read MoreState marijuana legalization brings up new questions in hiring
is actually legal — it creates a confusing situation. Should an applicant be denied a job in another state because he or she utilizes a drug that is legal in the state in which he or she resides? One problem is that THC — the active ingredient in cannabis — can stay in the body…
Read MoreSamples from previous Olympic Games to be re-tested for performance-enhancing drugs
Although it has been seven years since the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, the International Olympic Committee has plans to continue screening past competitors and medalists for performance-enhancing drugs. If it finds drugs in the samples that it collected before and during the 2008 Games, the IOC can still strip winners of their medals. The…
Read MoreEmployers continue to question how to handle marijuana legality during drug testing
Alaska officially legalized recreational use of marijuana for citizens that are over the age of 21. However, employers in the state — and in fact, across the country in other states in which recreational or medical cannabis is used — find that they are not sure how to handle employee drug tests when the drug…
Read MoreJamaica making dramatic changes in drug testing for the 2016 Olympics
spent some time in Jamaica recently to check on the status of the country’s rebuilt drug-testing program, after it was discovered in 2013 that, in the six months before the 2012 Olympic Games in London, no out-of-competition drug screening was conducted on any of the country’s athletes. Jamaica has taken home 28 medals in track…
Read MoreEmployers: 4 tips for creating and enforcing marijuana policy in states where pot is legal
As states consider passing laws that allow for legal marijuana usage — and in the few states in which pot is already legal — some confusion may crop up for employers. There may be questions like, if the state allows for legal usage of the drug, are you as an employer still allowed to enforce…
Read MoreDrug-testing device receives government approval in UK, could prevent driving deaths
Northern Ireland’s government has just approved a new drug-testing technology that the country’s Roads Safety Minister hopes will prevent residents from driving under the influence of drugs. The portable device, called Drugwipe, can detect cocaine or marijuana in the body. It utilizes small amounts of saliva, and produces results in eight minutes or fewer. Drugwipe…
Read MoreTobacco use banned in Colorado health hiring
In 2012, Centura Health system — one of the largest healthcare providers in Colorado — created a policy banning smoking and tobacco products on any of its properties. Now, two years later, Centura Health has announced that it will no longer hire smokers to work at any of its facilities in Colorado and Kansas. “As…
Read MoreDrugs in the workplace: Are confessing to using drugs and testing positive for drugs two different things?
confess to doing drugs before they even complete testing. Minnesota employers are allowed to respond differently to an admission of drug usage than to a positive drug test. DATWA makes no exceptions for confessions on company property; the employer may immediately terminate an employee that admits to using illegal substances, if that is consistent with…
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