10 July 2008 - 22:18Urine drug test. Part 2.

Urine drug tests were, at one time, primarily used by officers and workers within the correctional field and by attorneys and courts, but today the use has spread throughout the nation and into many areas. There is no denying that this test has helped spearhead the many efforts that have been made in securing drug free work environments. Even insurance companies will provide special discount rates for workers’ comp and health insurance if the companies have drug testing policies and procedures in place and are adhering to them.

Urine drug tests can be given to someone at any time of the day or night without compromising the results and the test truly requires little from either the participant or the examiner. The tests enjoy the reputation for a high rate of accuracy as well as the ability to test for numerous drugs. There is indisputable evidence that these drug tests have been largely responsible for a drastic decline in drug use among workers. These tests are indispensable to companies such as trucking concerns which must rely upon sober and drug-free drivers.

These same tests do have their drawbacks. Urine is a body fluid, and as such, it is considered a hazardous material and must be treated accordingly. This means that there are certain rules by OSHA that govern its collection, handling and disposal. These procedures must be maintained during the entire testing process or heavy fines could be imposed. The procedures include using gloves when handling the specimen, maintaining good hand washing and being certain there are facilities for this at the testing site, and having marked bags to hold the collection cups. Of course there is always the possibility of contamination of something or someone by some accidental or inadvertent spillage of the urine. The samples themselves must be kept cool or refrigerated while awaiting the testing, otherwise the urine will begin to degrade and render the test useless. The collection procedure must always be carefully monitored throughout the duration as well. There have been cases where people will try and have another person take their place. In some instances, there have been some who try to smuggle in clean urine in order to attempt to substitute this urine in place of their own. Often people will suffer from performance anxiety or a “shy bladder’ or just plain embarrassment and have extreme difficulty producing a sample. There are also the lost man-hours to tally up, as an employee who is in the process of being tested must absent himself from the job in order to comply.

It is very evident from the above, that urine drug tests have been very instrumental in the war on drugs. They continue to play a very important part in making workplaces drug and alcohol free. The result of this is a better and safer environment for all. Some opponents argue that these tests, as well as others, are unconstitutional, demeaning, humiliating and an invasion of privacy. These accusations seem more than a little harsh. Urine tests are nothing more than reporters and they merely are reporting what they find. If anything is unfair it is the person who is using illegal drugs and getting away with it.

Pass urine drug test