Company Cups Runneth Over

Safety and productivity concerns seem to outweigh most privacy issues when it comes to drug testing company employees and new hires.

Alcohol and drug-related abuse by employees costs United States companies $102 billion a year, according to the The National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information.

The expense of absenteeism, injuries, health insurance claims, loss of productivity, employee morale, theft and fatalities are among the concerns.

According to NCADI statistics, alcohol and drug users:

• Are far less productive

• Use three times as many sick days

• Are more likely to injure themselves or someone else

• Are five times more likely to file workers’ compensation claims

The American Civil Liberties Union disputes such claims and argued in a 1999 report that drug testing is a violation of privacy that isn’t worth the cost. It’s estimated that $1 billion is spent annually to drug test workers in the United States.

Contracts for testing locally are typically $15 to $30 per test, with individual tests available for $40 or more.

Rather than drug testing, the ACLU supports “impairment testing” of workers in safety-sensitive positions and the establishment of programs to assist employees with addiction problems.

Testing for Safety

“It’s not like the company wants to go out and find people using drugs,” said Tammy Pulliam, medical supervisor for Pinnacle Foods Corp. in Fayetteville. “It’s to keep our workplace safe but also to identify those who have a problem and get them some help.”

Pinnacle tests its new applicants and randomly selects 25 percent of its 824 employees each year for impromptu tests. Pulliam said the selection process is done by computer.

Applicants are denied positions if they test positive. But Pinnacle employees with positive results from a random test “get a one-time offer” to go to counseling for help, Pulliam said. The employee is then subject to being tested at any time for three years and will be fired if a second positive test occurs, she added.

“It’s important,” Pulliam said.

Jerry Duncan, human resources manager for Arvest Bank of Bentonville, said the bank requires a drug test of applicants but also requires a test when employees move to a “bank officer position.” Such positions require a great deal of responsibility, and the bank wants to make sure it’s not placing someone with a drug problem in such a position, Duncan said.

The bank pays $20 a test and has them done at a local hospital.

For Rosie Aguilar, personnel manager at Newly Weds Foods in Springdale, it’s a matter of safety and making sure the company is hiring good people. Aguilar said Newly Weds tests its new hires and employees involved in any accidents on the job.

“We have 130 employees in an industrial situation. It’s important that they’re safe,” Aguilar said.

Amy Cornett, who serves on the board of directors of the Northwest Arkansas Human Resources Association with Aguilar and is human resources services coordinator for Tyson Foods Inc. also supports a drug-free workplace.

Tyson, she said, tests its new hires and workers who are suspected of being impaired on the job. The company also requires its truck drivers to comply with U.S. Department of Transportation testing regulations, which include random testing through certified labs.

Government help

Several state and federal laws and policies support employer efforts to keep drugs and alcohol out of the workplace. Some are:

• The federal Omnibus Transportation Act of 1991 sets up drug testing policies and procedures for employees in trucking and bus and train systems.

• The federal Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 requires that employers receiving federal grants and contracts must establish drug-free workplace policies.

• Arkansas unemployment compensation laws allow an employee to be denied benefits if he is fired for using alcohol or controlled substances on the job or for reporting to work while intoxicated.

• The state also has a Voluntary Drug Testing Program that provides incentives for establishing drug-free work force policies. The program gives employers a premium credit on workers’ compensation insurance if they maintain a certified drug-free workplace program.

• The state’s workers’ compensation law denies benefits when an accident is substantially caused by the use of alcohol, illegal drugs or prescription drugs improperly used.

New Quick Tests

Employee Screening Management of Fayetteville offers a variety of testing options for employers. The company’s eScreen technology provides quick, accurate results and confidentiality, said Joel Howard, national account manager for ESM.

A urine sample using the eCup, one of several test methods offered by ESM, is analyzed by a computer with results in minutes that can be confidentially provided to the employer through the Internet.

ESM also offers an oral swab that tests saliva. The oral swab allows testing at the work site, which can reduce embarrassment and allow company officials to observe the reaction when immediate testing is proposed, Howard said.

“There is no known adulterant for the oral swab,” Howard said, adding that eScreen’s tests specifically look for adulterants in their test specimens anyway.

ESM also offers QuikScreen, another urine test product that uses technology similar to a home pregnancy test. Howard explained that the cup has a sensor that immediately reports a negative result. Samples that come up positive have to be sent to the lab for a confirmation test, he explained.

Howard believes there are a number of reasons why employers should have drug-free workplace policies that include drug screenings.

“We all want a safe workplace,” he said.

Transportation businesses that fall under the U.S. Department of Transportation are required to have their employees drug tested. But, Howard pointed out, other employers also choose to require testing to take advantage of discounts in workers’ compensation insurance.

ESM handles drug screening for Wal-Mart Stores Inc. applicants and employees, Simmons Foods of Siloam Springs, Pinnacle Foods and other area businesses and industries.

The company also provides tests for parents and others.

“We have a lot of people come in here who want to test themselves, see if they can pass a drug test,” he said.

The company is part of a national network allowing it to collect samples for testing throughout the country.

“It’s so easy for them,” he said, referring to employers. “They get one bill from us, consolidated regardless of the number of sites they have around the country.”

Several area clinics, including MediServe Walk-In Clinics, also offer drug testing services.

Dr. James R. Baber of Little Rock, a lawyer and medical doctor, reviews positive test results for Employee Screening Management. He said about 4 percent of the tests conducted turn up positive for illicit drugs. Baber said he interviews the donor to find out if there is a medical explanation and reviews the findings before issuing a final report.

The U.S. Department of Labor calls testing a “win-win” situation for both employers and employees. In a press release on the issue, the department pointed to a study that found significant improvements in job-related performance after drug-testing policies were established in Ohio. The results were:

• 91 percent decrease in absenteeism,

• 88 percent decrease in problems with supervisors,

• 93 percent decrease in mistakes in work

• 97 percent decrease in job injuries

Employers have found that for every dollar they invest in an Employee Assistance Program, they save anywhere from $5 to $16, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.