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Tell that to our insurance carrier......and the DOT.
It can be noted above what I think about drug testing where I work. There is no one argument that covers everything here. There must be very compelling reasons for the courts to allow drug testing. Absolutely no testing is as short sighted as those who argue for testing of people who are not a risk and have shown no reason to be tested.
The fact you want to wait until some thing happens.........then fire the worker.
I didn't say that either.
I said, if a person is performing poorly then you fire them (or get to the bottom of what's going on, whatever. My point was not firing them per se, but that the employer has options regarding poorly performing employees, regardless of the cause). I did not say "wait until something happens".
In dangerous work environments there should be adequate supervision. I do not think that penalizing a person who has smoked pot on the weekend and absolving yourself of responsibility because another employee passed the drug test but is distracted by something not substance related is the right tactic either. There are legal deterrents that should discourage employees from putting others in harms way already in place. If you hire people that are that stupid as to ignore this at their own peril, then you need to be a bit smarter about who you hire. Likewise, if you have employees who are struggling with substance abuse issues then you have an obligation to direct them to help, legally.
Drug testing does not ensure accidents won't occur. Paying proper attention to your employees, making sure they are adequately trained and have respect for their fellow's safety would be a more effective strategy, IMO.
But what we have now is a culture where many people, regardless of whether they're in a position where they can cause harm or not, are drug tested on a regular basis. Why? Reeks of intrusion and control freakery to me.
Employers can already fire you if you aren't doing your job, and if you are, then what business is it of theirs what you do outside of the workplace, and long as you aren't throwing up on your clients or otherwise reflecting poorly on your employer?
For the sake of the illusion of safety we are giving up too many civil liberties.
I said, if a person is performing poorly then you fire them (or get to the bottom of what's going on, whatever. My point was not firing them per se, but that the employer has options regarding poorly performing employees, regardless of the cause). I did not say "wait until something happens".
In dangerous work environments there should be adequate supervision. I do not think that penalizing a person who has smoked pot on the weekend and absolving yourself of responsibility because another employee passed the drug test but is distracted by something not substance related is the right tactic either. There are legal deterrents that should discourage employees from putting others in harms way already in place. If you hire people that are that stupid as to ignore this at their own peril, then you need to be a bit smarter about who you hire. Likewise, if you have employees who are struggling with substance abuse issues then you have an obligation to direct them to help, legally.
Drug testing does not ensure accidents won't occur. Paying proper attention to your employees, making sure they are adequately trained and have respect for their fellow's safety would be a more effective strategy, IMO.
But what we have now is a culture where many people, regardless of whether they're in a position where they can cause harm or not, are drug tested on a regular basis. Why? Reeks of intrusion and control freakery to me.
Employers can already fire you if you aren't doing your job, and if you are, then what business is it of theirs what you do outside of the workplace, and long as you aren't throwing up on your clients or otherwise reflecting poorly on your employer?
For the sake of the illusion of safety we are giving up too many civil liberties.
The DOT also asks people to drug test.........do you think that is wrong???
When we are drug tested we are also tested for alcohol. It doesn't have to be illegal to get you fired.
We do have programs for that. Mental health care is a part of our health package. You can go to your supervisor and tell them you are having issues and they will get you help, not fire you. Supervision has to go through training to spot changes in people also.
I understand the argument about being found with a drug in your system from days ago not currently affecting your ability to do your job. I support the legalization of pot. Someone is going to have to come up with a better testing system before most of us will work with someone that fails a test though as far as technology is. Develop a better system and I'm on board.
I'm pretty much with you. I think it's great that the supervisors have training to keep an eye on people's well being. I think this is a much better strategy. After all people will only fail a drug test if they happen to be drugged that day or close to it, unless it's pot or something that is no longer potent but is still detectable, which us also quite useless practically speaking. Behavioral patterns are a much better indicator of all sorts of problems that could cause someone to be homicidally or grievously negligent, and I fully support programs that would help people get through things as opposed to canning them, to a reasonable extent of course.
It's really all about money and litigation and little to do with actual people's safety and well being.
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