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Illinois Drug Testing

Last updated : November 18, 2024

We’ve got you covered with thousands of Illinois drug testing locations.
We also provide all types of employee drug testing.

We offer a variety of standard test panels, such as the 5 panel, 9, 10, or 12 panel drug tests to aid employers who choose more comprehensive testing. We use the latest drug testing technology available in the industry. Furthermore, all our labs are SAMHSA certified as required by Illinois’ Drug-Free Workplace program.

Call us at 800-851-2021 to schedule an Illinois drug test now!

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Illinois drug testing locations

Don’t worry if your city isn’t listed. Just call 800-851-2021. We’ll be happy to assist you in finding a location nearby. However—and we’re sure to mention it during the conversation—you might decide to have us come to you instead.

That’s right. You’ll never have to search for “drug testing near me” again! We’ll send a mobile collection specialist to your location, anywhere throughout the state— 24/7/365.

Employees on the job site? We’ll find them.

Night shift coming due for the annual fitness-for-duty drug test? Why not have us show up during their shift rather than interrupting their sleep schedule to report for testing during normal business hours? The phrase “drug testing near me” takes on an entirely new meaning when the test rolls right up to your location, doesn’t it?

We offer employee education classes, management training, and DOT services. We can also create your company’s drug-free program. We’ll even customize your policies to specifically meet the needs of your business.

Illinois drug testing laws

There aren’t any restrictions for employee drug testing of the general workforce in Illinois. However, if an employee tests positive on a random drug test, no action can be taken if it can’t be proven the substance was used in the workplace.

Illinois does not have a statute or regulation generally addressing drug testing of employees and applicants by private employers. However, Illinois law requires that employers working under a public works contract have a written program in place for drug-testing employees. In addition, the Illinois Human Rights Act, which makes it unlawful for employers in Illinois to discriminate based on disability, addresses permissible drug testing.

Types of workplace drug testing

The state of Illinois doesn’t restrict employers regarding employee drug testing. When participating in the Drug-Free Workplace Program, an employer may choose to conduct the following types of drug tests:

Reasonable suspicion

Drug tests must be conducted following any observed behavior creating “reasonable suspicion.” These behaviors must be clearly defined in the policy. Some examples of reasonable suspicion might include:

  • Direct observation of drug or alcohol use, or the symptoms of being under the influence of a drug or alcohol.
  • Abnormal behavior while at work or a significant deterioration in work performance. Such behaviors should be properly documented in the event that an employee contests the accusation.
  • A report of drug use is provided by a reliable and credible source.
  • Evidence that an individual has tampered with a drug test while working for you.
  • Information that an employee has caused or been involved in an accident while at work.
  • Evidence that an employee has used, possessed, sold, or solicited drugs while working or while on the employer’s premises or while operating the employer’s vehicle or equipment.
  • If the testing is conducted on a “reasonable suspicion” basis, the employer must promptly record the circumstances which formed the basis of the determination that reasonable suspicion existed to warrant the testing. Any documentation the employers have noted about an employee’s behavior must also be provided to the employee upon request.

Post Accident

Post Accident drug testing must be completed within 2 hours of the accident if at all possible. Employers are instructed to contact their workers’ compensation agent immediately if a catastrophic accident occurs.

Random drug testing

An employer may conduct random drug testing on employees periodically throughout the year. The subjects to be randomly tested must come from a pool of all employee names.

Pre-employment

Once an applicant has been offered a job, they may be tested.

Probationary

If an employee returns to work after completing a rehab program, probationary drug testing may be conducted. The tests are unannounced and conducted over a predetermined length of time.

Drug testing for public works contractors

Illinois’ Substance Abuse Prevention on Public Works Project Act covers employers who are contractors or subcontractors performing a public works project. Before beginning work on a public works project, an employer must have a written substance abuse prevention program in place which:

  • prohibits employees from using, possessing, distributing, delivering, or being under the influence of any drug or alcohol while performing work on a public works project;
  • requires employees performing work on a public works project to submit to pre-hire, random, reasonable suspicion, and post-accident drug and alcohol testing;
  • includes a procedure for notifying an employee who violates the program’s prohibition, who tests positive for a drug, or who refuses to submit to required drug or alcohol testing that the employee may not perform work on a public works project until he or she meets certain conditions.

The written program must be made available to the general public.

Testing procedures

All drug and alcohol testing must be performed by a laboratory that is certified for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration of the Federal Department of Health and Human Services.

All substance abuse prevention programs must contain at least a nine-panel urine drug test plus a test for alcohol. Testing an employee’s blood may only be used for post-accident testing; however, blood testing is not mandatory where a urine test is sufficient.

An employee is considered to be under the influence of alcohol if the alcohol concentration in his or her blood or breath is at or above 0.02.

Reasonable suspicion testing

According to Illinois law, an employee whose supervisor has reasonable suspicion to believe the employee is under the influence of alcohol or a drug is:

  • subject to discipline, up to and including suspension;
  • required to undergo an alcohol or drug test.

“Reasonable suspicion” means a belief, based on behavioral observations or other evidence, sufficient to lead a prudent or reasonable person to suspect an employee is under the influence. Symptoms an employer can watch for include slurred speech, erratic behavior, decreased motor skills, or other such traits.

An employee who is thought to be under the influence of alcohol or a drug must be removed from the job site and placed on inactive status pending the employer’s receipt of the test results. Under no circumstances may the employee be allowed to operate a vehicle or other equipment for any purpose.

The employer who is requiring reasonable suspicion testing must provide transportation for the employee to the testing facility and may send a representative to accompany the employee. The employee has the right to request a representative or designee to be present at the time of testing. If the test result is positive for drugs or alcohol, the employee is subject to termination. If the test result is negative, the employee must be placed on active status and put back to work. Following a negative test result, the employee must be paid for all lost time, including all time needed to complete the testing and any overtime according to the employee’s contract.

Post-accident testing

Also according to state law, an employer must perform substance abuse testing on any employee who caused, contributed to, or was otherwise involved in an accident. The law defines an accident as an incident that:

  • resulted in death, personal injury or property damage;
  • occurred while the employee was performing work on a public works project.

Employee access to project

An employer must immediately remove an employee from work on a public works project if:

  • the employee is found to have used, possessed, distributed, delivered, or be under the influence of any drug or alcohol while performing work on a public works project;
  • the employee tests positive for a drug or refuses to submit to required drug or alcohol testing; o
  • an officer or employee of the contracting agency, preferably one trained to recognize drug and alcohol abuse, has a reasonable suspicion that the employee is under the influence and requests the employer to immediately remove the employee for reasonable suspicion testing.

An employee who is barred or removed from work on a public works project may return to work only after the employer provides to the contracting agency documentation showing all of the following:

  • that the employee has tested negative for drugs and is not under the influence of alcohol;
  • that the employee has been approved to return to work;
  • drug and alcohol testing and the handling of test specimens were conducted in accordance with federal guidelines.

Upon successfully completing a rehabilitation program, an employee must be reinstated to his or her former employment status, if work exists for which he or she is qualified.

Here are three facts to know about Illinois’ employee drug testing laws:

  • Illinois has drug testing laws for state employees, but there are also laws prohibiting workers from drug use with whom the state is contracting. Illinois’ Substance Abuse Prevention on Public Works Project Act requires employees working on public works projects to submit to drug and alcohol testing before starting work and randomly during the project. Workers suspected of using drugs or alcohol on the job can be disciplined or suspended until a test is taken. The employer is required to administer a substance abuse test after a workplace accident. Any worker who fails the test must be terminated. Illinois law also mandates that any employer with 25 or more employees and receives a state grant of $5,000 or more must have a drug-free work environment. The law does not require drug testing, but employers who violate the law may lose their state funding.
  • Any employer can require its employees to take a drug test, but it cannot require the employees to pay for the test. Violation of this state law could result in a fine of as much as $100 per offense.
  • The Illinois Human Rights Act, which protects employees from workplace discrimination, neither encourages nor prohibits employee drug testing. The law expressly says that drug use does not qualify as a protected disability, though employees going through a drug rehabilitation program and no longer using drugs are protected.

The drug-free workplace

The state of Illinois doesn’t require agencies to have a drug-free workplace policy. However, if a company doesn’t have a policy in place, the employer must give employees 60 days notice prior to beginning employee drug testing—unless there is reasonable suspicion involved.

Drug-free programs promote a safe workplace.

Studies have shown that a well-planned program reduces substance abuse and can increase productivity, reduce accidents, and decrease costs due to insurance claims. Moreover, all employees become more aware of the importance of safety in the workplace. Therefore, everyone benefits from a safer work environment.

An employer implementing this program will also receive additional benefits:

  • If an employee incurs a work-related injury and refuses to take a drug test when requested, the injured employee may forfeit eligibility for workers’ compensation benefits, regardless of the cause of the accident.
  • An employee who loses a job or is denied employment as a result of a positive drug/alcohol test, may not qualify for unemployment compensation benefits. In that case, the contributory employer could be relieved of charges in connection with the unemployment claim.
  • If drugs are found in the employee’s system at or above threshold levels, the injured employee may not be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. This applies to employers who are certified and in compliance with the program. If the employer is not certified as a drug-free workplace, and the injured employee is able to show that the cause of the accident was not related to the presence of drugs in his or her system, he or she may still be entitled to benefits.
  • Employers who do properly implement a Drug-Free Workplace Program are eligible for a 5 percent credit to their workers’ compensation insurance premium.

Where does marijuana fit in?

Regardless of the fact that marijuana is legal both recreationally and for medical use in Illinois, employers may continue to drug test for marijuana. Positive test results can result in termination.

Drug testing methods

There are three primary methods used for employee drug testing.

It’s also possible to drug test employees using a blood test, however, it’s extremely rare. They’re expensive, extremely intrusive, and must be performed by trained medical personnel under proper medical conditions. Blood tests may be named for post-accident testing, however, as they identify the parent drug and, therefore, can determine current impairment. This is useful information for investigators trying to determine the accident’s cause and who’s responsible.

All test samples, meaning hair, urine, and saliva, undergo an immunoassay (IA) test first. Subsequently, those testing positive go on for a second test to confirm the results. The gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) test identifies the drug level contained in the specimen as well.

Mouth swab test

Mouth swab drug tests identify recent drug use. The detection period begins just minutes after use in most cases and, depending on the drug, identifies drugs in the system for up to 72 hours prior to the test.

It’s impossible to fake these test results. The employee is unable to switch the sample as they never leave the administrator’s sight. Moreover, products claiming to “detoxify” the system are misrepresenting themselves because the body naturally cleanses itself at its own pace. Lastly, there’s no way to strip the drug metabolites from the saliva.

Urine test

By far, the most widely used drug test on the market is the urine test. They’re cost-effective, accurate, and, to be honest, although considered intrusive, they’re the ones employees expect upon learning there will be “a test.”

The range of detection varies from within a few hours of use up to a few days or weeks, depending on the drug itself. Heavy marijuana users, however, may test positive for over thirty days.

Employers receive results in less than a week.

Hair follicle drug test

The hair follicle drug test affords employers the longest detection period justifying its cost for many employers. This test identifies any and all drug use for a ninety-day period. In fact, there’s no limit as to the length of time the hair test identifies drug use.

Drug metabolites store themselves all over the body until excreted. Those stored in the hair follicle don’t get too far away. They grow out into the hair shaft infusing themselves with the hair. Consequently, they remain there leaving a permanent record of drug use.

Human hair grows about half an inch every month. Hair samples are cut to a standard test length of one and one-half inches, thus, establishing the ninety-day window.

There are instances when a court order requests a longer period of detection. Laboratories can easily accommodate the request by increasing the length of the hair sample.

It takes about a week to receive results.

Drug identification

USA Mobile Drug Testing uses the above methods to identify all types of drugs. Unless regulated by the DOT or some other entity, employers are free to choose the drugs included in the company drug test.

We identify amphetamines and methamphetamines within our amphetamine test panel. THC identifies medical marijuana users and even CBD use when the product contains high levels of THC hidden within them due to poor extraction processes.

However, the opiate panel does not identify synthetic opioids, such as hydrocodone and oxycodone. Employers can add an extended opiate panel to the test to identify them though.

We also have the capability to identify “specialty” drugs, like bath salts or steroids, for instance. We have a panel to identify synthetic marijuana too.

Detection windows

We’ve established that the amount of time that a drug remains in the system is dependent on the drug itself. Subsequently, even those detection windows vary.

So, why is that?

There are several factors that play a part in the length of time that specific drugs can be identified in the body.

  • Genetics—The speed at which your body metabolizes everything is unique to your genetic makeup. Therefore, our DNA has everything to do with it.
  • Dosage and frequency—It makes sense that the amount of drug ingested and how often it’s taken determine the amount of time it remains in the system. For example, someone that uses drugs once in a great while versus someone with an addiction.
  • Body Mass Index—Your height, weight, and fat cell ratio play a part in how and where drug metabolites are stored. For instance, heavier people may retain drug metabolites in the system longer because those stored in fat cells take longer to clear.
  • Age—Younger people tend to metabolize things faster than older people.

DOT Information

The Department of Transportation was created to ensure the general public’s right to safe passage. It regulates the industries that transport people and products.

  • Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
  • Federal Railroad Administration
  • Federal Aviation Administration
  • Federal Transit Administration
  • United States Coastguard
  • Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

Part of the regulations includes employee drug testing.

DOT drug test

It won’t be much longer and the DOT will be changing from the urine drug test to the hair follicle test. At this time, an official request is circulating through the chain of command and is not expected to meet with resistance at any point.

This is the second change the DOT has made to its drug testing regulations in the past few years. In January 2019, it extended the opiate panel to include four synthetic opioids.

Physicians heavily prescribed these prescription painkillers until realizing their high potential for addiction. By then, however, the damage had been done and addiction to these drugs was and is running rampant through our country.

The trucking industry stands behind the DOT’s decision to use the hair follicle test. In fact, some employers in the industry incur the additional cost of using both the DOT drug test and the hair follicle test as well.

Moreover, the Department of Transportation (DOT) has proposed changes to its drug testing policy to include mouth swab testing. The proposals were published on Monday, February 28th, 2022. The proposal is aimed at saving employers in the trucking industry time and money because the mouth swab test is completed in minutes getting the driver back out on the road in the least amount of time.

FMCSA Clearinghouse

Beginning January 6, 2023, employers are no longer required to query both the FMCSA Clearinghouse and previous employers (for a three-year period) on all potential drivers to search for unresolved drug or alcohol violations. As of that date, an accurate and “real-time” database was determined to be established. Employers need only access the Clearinghouse when hiring new employees.

Employers are required to report any drug or alcohol violations to the database within 3 business days. They may designate their C/TPA to handle testing and reporting on their behalf.

Drug Testing FAQs—

If I take my medical marijuana card with me to the drug test, will I be excused when it shows up in my system?

No. Employers hold the right here, in Illinois, to follow company policy in regard to a positive THC result on an employee drug test in regard to medical marijuana use. Subsequently, that often means employee termination.

Can I dispute a drug test result if my employer used a mouth swab test? Won’t they get in trouble for that?

No, they won’t. All drug testing methods are allowed in the state of Illinois. Moreover, the DOT has approved the mouth swab test as an approved drug testing method. Employers will be free to use it as soon as laboratory certification is completed.

Can I access the Clearinghouse and see if there’s any information there about me?

Yes. Drivers can register with the Clearinghouse and are free to access it at any time, at no charge.

I’m an owner-operator so does that mean that I query myself?

The FMCSA requires that all drivers be queried once a year. However, you need to have your C/TPA (consortium/third-party administrator) handle the particulars for you. If you’ve already registered with the Clearinghouse, you’ve probably designated them to access the database on your behalf already.

I have a prescription for my oxy—my back’s in really bad shape—that’s going to keep me in the clear, right?

If you’re holding a safety-sensitive position, it’s technically possible. You’ll have a chance to provide medical evidence for your claim. But, a prescription isn’t going to do the trick. Your doctor needs to contact the MRO to discuss alternatives. If none can be decided upon, the doctor needs to state that in writing and verify that you are able to function normally while under the influence of the painkiller.

Ultimately, though, the decision is left up to your employer. It’s a pretty big risk to incur.

Can I admit that I have a problem with drugs to my employer and keep my job?

We really can’t predict how that conversation is going to go down. In all honesty, it largely depends on your employer’s drug-free program. Policies and procedures have to be followed to the letter. Still, if you’re considering getting help for your problem, reach out to your employer.

Then, enroll in rehab and fight like you’re fighting for your life! Even if your job isn’t waiting for you when you complete your rehab, you were looking for a job when you found that one, right? And, this round, you’re going to be drug-free. Your horizons just broadened considerably.

Go get’em, tiger! We’re rooting for you.

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