Successful plans tend to emphasize prevention of drug abuse, rather than punishment, as a means of promoting better health for individual employees. Companies benefit from increased productivity, safety and lower liability costs. Seventy percent of the Fortune 500 companies screened job applicants for drugs in 1991, up from 10 percent in 1983. How They Work Saliva and breath tests, used in checking for alcoholic intoxication, are not commonly accepted as screens for drugs of abuse. The remaining options include urine screening and blood testing.
Urine testing is preferable for large-scale use.
Because the collection of a urine specimen does not require the puncturing of skin, licensed medical personnel are not required to administer the test and there is no danger of infection. The length of time a drug remains detectable in urine depends on the characteristics of the specific drug, the amount taken and frequency of use, as well as the individual's age, weight, health and body chemistry. A positive urine screening test result reveals only the presence of a drug in a urine specimen, not how or when the drug was taken. Drugs detected in urine are reported as having been scientifically identified as present in the individual's body system. A positive drug test result does not indicate whether an individual is impaired by drugs but indicates confirmed presence of the drug.