Employee drug and alcohol abuse costs American employers billions of dollars in decreased productivity, increased liability insurance and higher workers' compensation insurance premiums. Employers may be liable for the negligence of an employee that is under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and may be held liable for negligently hiring an employee with a history of abusing drugs or alcohol. Furthermore, drug and alcohol abuse is also blamed for high employee absentee rates. All of these factors give employers an incentive to test their job applicants and current employees for illegal drugs or alcohol.
Because state and federal laws have been passed to allow employers to test their employee for on-the-job drug or alcohol abuse, the odds that an individual may be subjected to a drug test have increased substantially in today's workplace. …
