Gov't to revamp drug testing employees - GoFuckYourself.com

pr0 · 01-15-2004, 03:09 AM

(Another bush friendly program to cut down on "worker injury" payments)

AP: Gov't to Overhaul Employee Drug Tests

Wed Jan 14, 5:52 PM ET

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By ADAM GELLER, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK - The federal government is planning to overhaul its employee drug testing program to include scrutiny of workers' hair, saliva and sweat, a shift that could spur more businesses to revise screening for millions of their own workers.

The planned changes, long awaited by the testing industry, reflect government efforts to be more precise in its drug screening and to outmaneuver a small but growing subset of workers who try to cheat on urine-based tests.

Some businesses have already adopted alternative testing, despite criticism by privacy advocates. But others have held back, partly awaiting government standards.

Alternative testing methods would give employers more certainty about the timing and scope of drug usage than is now possible solely with urine sampling, said Robert Stephenson II, an official with the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

That could be particularly valuable in situations like investigations of on-the-job accidents, to determine not just whether an employee uses drugs but if usage occurred recently enough to be a cause.

Alternative testing will "really ramp up our ability to increase the deterrent value of our program, which is basically the whole bottom line," said Stephenson, director of the agency's Division of Workplace Programs.

Stephenson said it would likely be a year until the new policies take effect for the nation's 1.6 million federal workers. The agency, known as SAMHSA, sets guidelines and administers the testing.

All federal workers are eligible to be tested. SAMHSA, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services (news - web sites), tests fewer than 200,000 workers a year. The decision about who is tested often depends on the sensitivity of their job.

But because its standards are followed by regulatory agencies who conduct testing in industries they oversee, SAMHSA is responsible for about 6.5 million of the 40 million workplace drug tests done each year by U.S. employers.

The agency's testing standards are also widely followed by thousands of other employers, public and private.

The proposed changes are due out "literally any day," Stephenson said. He would not discuss details of the proposals before their release.

Changes would not likely go into effect until early next year, after the agency solicits public comment, finalize guidelines and prepare for the transition. Once that happens, many other employers could follow suit, government and industry officials say.

"There's no doubt about it that SAMHSA's guidelines become the standard for the industry whether you're a regulated employer or not, and so what SAMHSA does will have wide-ranging impact," said Kenneth Kunsman, a marketing executive with OraSure Technologies Inc., which makes a saliva testing kit.

More employers are already using alternative testing. But many have held back because of the lack of standards, said Laura Shelton, executive director of the Drug and Alcohol Testing Industry Association, which represents test manufacturers and labs.

Alternative tests hold appeal because their accuracy cannot be foiled with products sold to mask drug residue in urine, say company and government officials, noting that the tests are extremely accurate.

But privacy advocates express doubts, pointing to cases of police officers and others who allege false positives because their hair absorbed drugs around them, as well as research suggesting dark hair soaks up more drug byproducts than light hair.

"There's a lot that would need to be done before these types of tests, in our minds, would be sufficient to used for workplace testing," said Jeremy Gruber, legal director for the National Workrights Institute, an employee advocacy group.

The screening industry has worked in recent years to promote alternative tests.

Casino operators and local police departments were among the first to use hair testing for pre-employment screening because it allows detection of drug use over much longer periods than urine. It is also now used by employers including Kraft Foods Inc. and brewer Anheuser-Busch Cos.

"Urine tests were fallible in a variety of ways," said Alan Feldman, a spokesman for MGM Mirage, which adopted pre-employment hair testing for all its 42,000 workers in 1993. "We want our people to be sharp."

Psychemedics Corp., the largest hair testing company, has about 2,600 corporate clients and last year did about 400,000 tests, vice president Bill Thistle said.

Saliva testing has only been marketed for workplace drug testing for a few years. Companies including paper manufacturer Georgia-Pacific Corp. have adopted it.

Kunsman said the labs affiliated with his firm this year expect to process 60,000 to 70,000 workplace drug tests a month.

Government officials and testing industry executives say the new tests are less a replacement for urine screening than as additional tools in employers' arsenal.

"In different cases, one specimen may be better than the other," said Dr. Donna Bush, drug testing team leader at SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Prevention.

Saliva testing, done using a swab that looks much like a toothbrush but with a pad instead of bristles, is best at detecting drug use within the past one or two days.

Hair testing, in which a sample about the thickness of a shoelace is clipped at the root from the back of the head, allows detection of many drugs used as far back as 3 months.

Sweat testing, in which workers are fitted with a patch that is worn for two weeks, is used to screen people who have returned to work after drug treatment.

Alky · 01-15-2004, 03:10 AM

Turboface · 01-15-2004, 03:10 AM

Good thing I don't work.

pr0 · 01-15-2004, 03:12 AM

"It is also now used by employers including Kraft Foods Inc. and brewer Anheuser-Busch Cos."

Anyone else find this extremely hilarious & hipocritical?

Turboface · 01-15-2004, 03:15 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by pr0
"It is also now used by employers including Kraft Foods Inc. and brewer Anheuser-Busch Cos."

Anyone else find this extremely hilarious & hipocritical?

The providers of munchies and beer are against what they stand for. This is truly a sick world.

pr0 · 01-15-2004, 05:30 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Turboface

The providers of munchies and beer are against what they stand for. This is truly a sick world.

yea i think its great an alchohol manufacturer drug tests...even though their product kills more people in one year, then drug overdoses do in 50

not to mention the abused children of alchoholic parents

car wrecks involving alchohol

liver damage

and the list goes on & on

god forbid someone smoke a joint & come to work at AB.

com · 01-15-2004, 05:32 AM

I have in the past and will to this date refuse to work for any company that drug tests. Fire me if I don't preform, not based on my personal life. It's an invasion of privacy.

Vitasoy · 01-15-2004, 06:18 AM

privacy invasion! what's next?

roly · 01-15-2004, 06:24 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by com
I have in the past and will to this date refuse to work for any company that drug tests. Fire me if I don't preform, not based on my personal life. It's an invasion of privacy.

yeah i agree, it's different if your flying a plane, driving a train, a brain surgeon or something. but what difference does it make when your pushing a pen around. it should be down to your performance only.

Mr.Fiction · 01-15-2004, 06:31 AM

Republicans want less government and less regulation.

Except when they vote for Bush.

Herb Kornfield · 01-15-2004, 07:08 AM

More people will be out of work now, thats all this does.

This is a way for Insurance companies to get out of paying claims adn compaines to lower their preimums to the Insurance companies to improve the bottom line.

If more people said fuck you to this insanity, there would be less of it. Fight the power as Public Enemy once said.

The man's worst nightmare would be the people all withdrawling at the same time. There would be mass hysteria and total chaos in the streets.

Lets all have a smoke for peace.

01-15-2004, 03:09 AM	#1
pr0 rockin tha trailerpark Industry Role: Join Date: May 2001 Location: ~Coastal~ Posts: 23,088	Gov't to revamp drug testing employees (Another bush friendly program to cut down on "worker injury" payments) AP: Gov't to Overhaul Employee Drug Tests Wed Jan 14, 5:52 PM ET Add U.S. National - AP to My Yahoo! By ADAM GELLER, AP Business Writer NEW YORK - The federal government is planning to overhaul its employee drug testing program to include scrutiny of workers' hair, saliva and sweat, a shift that could spur more businesses to revise screening for millions of their own workers. The planned changes, long awaited by the testing industry, reflect government efforts to be more precise in its drug screening and to outmaneuver a small but growing subset of workers who try to cheat on urine-based tests. Some businesses have already adopted alternative testing, despite criticism by privacy advocates. But others have held back, partly awaiting government standards. Alternative testing methods would give employers more certainty about the timing and scope of drug usage than is now possible solely with urine sampling, said Robert Stephenson II, an official with the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. That could be particularly valuable in situations like investigations of on-the-job accidents, to determine not just whether an employee uses drugs but if usage occurred recently enough to be a cause. Alternative testing will "really ramp up our ability to increase the deterrent value of our program, which is basically the whole bottom line," said Stephenson, director of the agency's Division of Workplace Programs. Stephenson said it would likely be a year until the new policies take effect for the nation's 1.6 million federal workers. The agency, known as SAMHSA, sets guidelines and administers the testing. All federal workers are eligible to be tested. SAMHSA, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services (news - web sites), tests fewer than 200,000 workers a year. The decision about who is tested often depends on the sensitivity of their job. But because its standards are followed by regulatory agencies who conduct testing in industries they oversee, SAMHSA is responsible for about 6.5 million of the 40 million workplace drug tests done each year by U.S. employers. The agency's testing standards are also widely followed by thousands of other employers, public and private. The proposed changes are due out "literally any day," Stephenson said. He would not discuss details of the proposals before their release. Changes would not likely go into effect until early next year, after the agency solicits public comment, finalize guidelines and prepare for the transition. Once that happens, many other employers could follow suit, government and industry officials say. "There's no doubt about it that SAMHSA's guidelines become the standard for the industry whether you're a regulated employer or not, and so what SAMHSA does will have wide-ranging impact," said Kenneth Kunsman, a marketing executive with OraSure Technologies Inc., which makes a saliva testing kit. More employers are already using alternative testing. But many have held back because of the lack of standards, said Laura Shelton, executive director of the Drug and Alcohol Testing Industry Association, which represents test manufacturers and labs. Alternative tests hold appeal because their accuracy cannot be foiled with products sold to mask drug residue in urine, say company and government officials, noting that the tests are extremely accurate. But privacy advocates express doubts, pointing to cases of police officers and others who allege false positives because their hair absorbed drugs around them, as well as research suggesting dark hair soaks up more drug byproducts than light hair. "There's a lot that would need to be done before these types of tests, in our minds, would be sufficient to used for workplace testing," said Jeremy Gruber, legal director for the National Workrights Institute, an employee advocacy group. The screening industry has worked in recent years to promote alternative tests. Casino operators and local police departments were among the first to use hair testing for pre-employment screening because it allows detection of drug use over much longer periods than urine. It is also now used by employers including Kraft Foods Inc. and brewer Anheuser-Busch Cos. "Urine tests were fallible in a variety of ways," said Alan Feldman, a spokesman for MGM Mirage, which adopted pre-employment hair testing for all its 42,000 workers in 1993. "We want our people to be sharp." Psychemedics Corp., the largest hair testing company, has about 2,600 corporate clients and last year did about 400,000 tests, vice president Bill Thistle said. Saliva testing has only been marketed for workplace drug testing for a few years. Companies including paper manufacturer Georgia-Pacific Corp. have adopted it. Kunsman said the labs affiliated with his firm this year expect to process 60,000 to 70,000 workplace drug tests a month. Government officials and testing industry executives say the new tests are less a replacement for urine screening than as additional tools in employers' arsenal. "In different cases, one specimen may be better than the other," said Dr. Donna Bush, drug testing team leader at SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. Saliva testing, done using a swab that looks much like a toothbrush but with a pad instead of bristles, is best at detecting drug use within the past one or two days. Hair testing, in which a sample about the thickness of a shoelace is clipped at the root from the back of the head, allows detection of many drugs used as far back as 3 months. Sweat testing, in which workers are fitted with a patch that is worn for two weeks, is used to screen people who have returned to work after drug treatment. __________________ __________ Loadedca$h - get sum! - Revengebucks - mmm rebills! - webair (gotz sErVrz)

01-15-2004, 03:10 AM	#2
Alky Confirmed User Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Houston Posts: 5,651	word

01-15-2004, 03:10 AM	#3
Turboface Back in Black Industry Role: Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 9,976	Good thing I don't work. __________________ Search Engine Optimization Services for Adult Sites

01-15-2004, 05:32 AM	#7
com Confirmed User Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 4,541	I have in the past and will to this date refuse to work for any company that drug tests. Fire me if I don't preform, not based on my personal life. It's an invasion of privacy. __________________ Real. Professional. Hosting. .:Expect Nothing Less:. 320-078-843 :: www.realprohosting.com :: [email protected]

01-15-2004, 06:18 AM	#8
Vitasoy GFY HALL OF FAME DAMMIT!!! Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 58,202	privacy invasion! what's next? __________________ [email protected]

01-15-2004, 03:12 AM	#4
pr0 rockin tha trailerpark Industry Role: Join Date: May 2001 Location: ~Coastal~ Posts: 23,088	"It is also now used by employers including Kraft Foods Inc. and brewer Anheuser-Busch Cos." Anyone else find this extremely hilarious & hipocritical?

01-15-2004, 06:31 AM	#10
Mr.Fiction Confirmed User Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Free Speech Land Posts: 9,484	Republicans want less government and less regulation. Except when they vote for Bush. __________________ Don't be lazy, protect free speech: ACLU \| Free Speech Coalition \| EFF \| IMPA

01-15-2004, 07:08 AM	#11
Herb Kornfield Is on the 1 Industry Role: Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Philly Burbs Posts: 4,996	More people will be out of work now, thats all this does. This is a way for Insurance companies to get out of paying claims adn compaines to lower their preimums to the Insurance companies to improve the bottom line. If more people said fuck you to this insanity, there would be less of it. Fight the power as Public Enemy once said. The man's worst nightmare would be the people all withdrawling at the same time. There would be mass hysteria and total chaos in the streets. Lets all have a smoke for peace.