Last updated : May 19, 2025
Recent statistics by the Bureau of Labor Statistics reveal that over 5190 fatal injuries were reported in 2016. Workplace injuries in the transportation industry were the most common, accounting for 40-percent of the total incidents. Additionally, 8.7% of the full-time workers between 18 and 64 years used alcohol, 8.6% abused illicit drugs while 9.5% used both alcohol and illicit drugs, according to the data gathered between 2008-12’ by the National Survey on Drug Use & Health (NSDUH).
These statistics are clear indications that regardless of the industry, employers need to take safety measures to control drug abuse for the well being of the workers, the workplace, and third parties. Drug testing is a major way of ensuring a safer and more productive workplace. Several circumstances under which the employer may require employees to take a drug test. We discuss ways and scenarios Denver employers are using drug testing to boost workers’ productivity and ensure safety at the workplaces;
Pre-employment drug testing
It’s always better to avoid a problem in the first place, which is why many employers conduct pre-employment drug testing, requiring job applicants have to to be tested as a condition of employment. In most cases, candidates who use drugs will avoid employers who conduct pre-employment drug testing. However, since drug users aren’t exactly known for sound judgment, some will attempt to “prepare” by consuming a detoxifying product and/or temporarily discontinuing drug use leading up to their test.
Fortunately for employers, these detoxifying products are a scam and will not enable a drug user to pass a drug test. In fact, the only thing that that will remove drugs from a user’s system is the passage of time. And those who simply choose to temporarily discontinue drug use leading up to their test will be caught during subsequent random drug testing.
Reasonable suspicion drug testing
Also known as probable cause drug testing, reasonable suspicion drug testing occurs when the employer or supervisor identifies observable signs and symptoms that the employee is using drugs and/or alcohol in violation of the drug free workplace policies.
It may be hard to identify the behavior that justifies drug and alcohol testing. As such, the management must organize a training program for the supervisor so they can tell when the behavior, physical traits, speech and work performance change for the worse due to alcohol and illicit drug use.
Random drug testing
Denver employers most effective weapon in fighting drug use in the workplace is random drug testing. In this case, are randomly selected using specialized software to prevent favors or bias. Every employee in the organization, from the janitor to the CEO, has an equal chance of being selected for the test, even if they were recently tested. Given that this is unannounced and random, there’s no way for employees to avoid the test.
Post-accident drug testing
Despite what some employers have been lead to believe, post-accident drug testing is still, and likely always will be permitted due to obvious safety concerns.
Employers typically perform post-accident drug testing to discover whether an accident, with or without an injury or damage to proper, was caused by consumption of illegal substances—which, statistically, are the primary causes of accidents in the workplace. Employers who conduct post-accident drug testing—especially in conjunction with random drug testing—tend to have significantly lower drug use among employees, and as a result, fewer workplace accidents.
Return-to-duty drug testing
Before an employee can return to work after either refusing to take a drug test, or testing positive, he/she must take a drug test under direct observance to ensure that they are drug free. Once an employee has completed recommended counseling and treatments, the Substance Abuse Professional, or SAP, is required to schedule a follow-up meeting, and will write a report based on the results of the follow-up evaluation that will indicate their assessment of the employee’s eligibility to perform safety-sensitive tasks.
