Want to Drug Test Your Employees? Benefits of Hair Versus Urine Drug Screening
Screening your employees for drugs is a smart idea, especially if they are going to be driving vehicles, operating heavy machinery, or engaging in any other activity where they can injure someone if they are impaired. However, before you screen your employees, you must first decide whether you want to do hair drug screen or urine drug screening. There are benefits to both types of screening methods and learning these benefits can help you decide which makes the most sense for your business. Here are a couple of benefits for each method.
Benefits of Hair Screening
1. Hair Screening is More Accurate than Urine Screening. One of the biggest benefits to hair screening is that it is more accurate than urine screening. When you do urine drug screening, there is a possibility of false positives, especially if the urine was not collected or stored correctly. False negatives are rare with hair screening. Additionally, hair screening can detect drugs in the system for a longer period of time than urine, making them more accurate in finding drug users. Hair testing can detect drug patterns, can detect the frequency with which the drugs were taken and can even differentiate between different kinds of opiates that urine can't, such as poppy seeds versus illegal drugs.
2. It's Harder to Manipulate the Results of a Hair Drug Test. The other advantage to a hair drug test is that it is much harder to manipulate the results of a hair drug test. Many drugs remain in the hair for an extended period of time and can't be washed out, removed or diluted. On the other hand, urine can be diluted and there are kits designed to help individuals pass a urine drug test if they are given ample notice. As such, many employers pick hair screening for their new hire process and then may use urine drug tests following an accident or for surprise drug tests, when the employee doesn't have time to prepare for the drug test.
Benefits of Urine Screening
1. Urine Screening is Inexpensive. One of the biggest benefits to urine drug screening is that it is relatively inexpensive. If you own a large company and have a number of employees to screen, or your company has a high employee turnover rate and you are constantly screening new employees, drug screening can add up. Having urine screening done can allow you to screen employees without the high costs associated with hair or blood drug testing.
2. You Can Get Quicker Results with Urine Drug Testing. Another major benefit to urine drug screening is that you get the results back quicker. It can take longer to analyze hair or blood for drugs, whereas urine can be tested on the spot. Waiting a long time for drug results can be inconvenient. If you need to hire someone right away, you don't want to wait a week or longer for results. Or, if an employee was in an accident, you don't want to have to place them on paid leave and pay them for not working for an extended period simply because you are waiting on drug test results. Getting the answers right away can benefit your bottom line and increase the efficiency of your business.
As an employer, there are many benefits to drug screening your employees. However, there are different ways employees can be drug tested. Learning about the benefits to different screening methods will help you find the method that you feel is ideal for your business and employees. Start your search by contacting local companies like AIM Occupational Testing drug testing.