Is Drug Testing for Employment Legal?
Drug testing for employment, (pre-employment drug screening) is legal in North Carolina and Arizona, as well as other states. FastMed Urgent Care does in-house drug testing for employment at locations across AZ and NC. We also conduct drug testing for accident investigations and do employee drug screening if there is reasonable concern regarding drug use in the workplace.
Job applicants may be subject to employment drug testing once the employer has offered the prospective hire a job. If you fail the drug test, it could result in the job offer being withdrawn.
How is Drug Testing For Employment Done?
Depending the employer’s drug testing policy, random employee drug tests can be performed at will. Other organizations will limit employee drug screening to “at cause” testing, when it appears an employee has a substance abuse problem.
There are multiple methods for conducting an employee drug test:
Blood Test: Employee drug tests or a pre-employment drug screening can be done by drawing and testing blood for drug and alcohol content.
Urine Test: This is the most common type of drug testing for employment. Urine tests for employee drug screening look for amphetamines, cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamines, opiates and alcohol.
Breath Alcohol Test: This is the same test – Breathalyzer- performed by the police if you’re pulled over for driving under the influence. The employee blows into the device and a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is measured. The legal BAC for driving is .08, the Department of Transportation (DOT) uses.a 04 BAC to take a driver off the road. Breathalyzer tests measure current alcohol concentration, not past use.
Hair Employment Drug Test: Evidence of drug use remains in the hair much longer than in the blood. Hair can be tested for cocaine, marijuana, opiates, methamphetamine, and phencyclidine. If the employee has a drug history, it will be chronicled in the length of his or her hair, usually the last 90 days.
About FastMed
FastMed is a leading provider of high-quality, convenient, affordable, and compassionate healthcare in 34 counties across North Carolina. FastMed serves both urban and rural communities across the state with a wide range of care options, including preventive, telemedicine, occupational health, and primary and urgent care. FastMed is one of the few urgent care providers in the nation that has earned The Joint Commission’s coveted Gold Seal of Approval® for quality, safety, and infection control in ambulatory healthcare. For more information, visit www.fastmed.com.