Drug Testing 101: What Employers Need to Know

Did you know that over half of adults who misuse opioids are employed? Drug testing continues to be a core tool for many employers, even as laws, technologies, and cultural expectations shift. What hasn’t changed is the employer’s responsibility to provide a safe workplace—and the reality that impairment, regardless of substance type or legal status, can have serious consequences. Understanding the foundations of drug testing helps leaders make informed decisions about when and how to implement it, ensuring it is fair, consistent, and aligned with organizational values.

Why Organizations Conduct Drug Testing

For most employers, drug testing isn’t about policing employee behavior—it’s about managing risk. Workplaces today are faster-paced, more complex, and more safety-dependent than ever. In environments where heavy machinery, transportation, precision, or public interaction are involved, an impaired employee can unintentionally put themselves and others in harm’s way.

When accidents occur, investigators often look at whether the employer took reasonable steps to prevent them. A well-designed testing program demonstrates that the organization took those steps.

Testing can also help maintain productivity and reliability. Impairment affects judgment, focus, attendance, and response time, which can ripple across teams and operations. And while not every positive test indicates chronic substance misuse, patterns of recent use can signal deeper issues—issues that may be more effectively addressed when identified early, rather than after a crisis.

When Employers Test

Organizations typically adopt a combination of testing situations based on their industry, regulatory environment, and tolerance for risk, including:

• Pre-employment testing helps ensure candidates can safely perform the work before stepping onto the floor.
• Random testing, when applied impartially, can deter unsafe substance use among the current workforce.
• Reasonable suspicion testing relies on observable behaviors or signs that suggest possible impairment—requiring supervisors to be trained, objective, and thorough in their documentation.
• Post-accident testing aims to clarify whether substance use contributed to an incident, while return-to-duty testing is usually part of a structured plan to ensure an employee is fit to resume work after a violation or leave.

Testing Methods at-a-Glance

Different testing methods offer different detection windows, levels of intrusiveness, and practical applications. Choosing the right method depends on what an employer needs to know and how quickly they need accurate information.

Building an Effective, Fair Program

Strong drug-testing programs are built on clarity and consistency. When building your drug testing policy, it is important to include all of the following components:

• Build a team to develop your drug-free policy and implement your program.
• Assess your workplace to determine what kind of program is appropriate for your circumstances.
• Understand the challenges associated with qualitative and quantitative approaches.
• Develop a drug-free policy that outlines when testing occurs, how samples are collected, what substances are included, and what happens when results come back positive.
• Plan and implement your program.
• Prepare your workplace, ensuring employees understand why the program exists and how it protects them—not just the organization.
• Provide supervisor training. Supervisors need training to recognize signs of impairment and to respond appropriately and objectively.
• Evaluate your program to assess how well it meets its objectives.
• Provide support for employees. Wherever possible, testing should be paired with support resources, such as an Employee Assistance Program, to reinforce that the goal is safety, not punishment.

For additional resources on building your drug-free workplace, visit: samhsa.gov

Looking to enhance your hiring safeguards? MRA offers background investigations, reference checks, and screening services that complement any drug-testing program. Connect with us to build a safer, more reliable workforce.

By: Teegan Johnson, RBI Specialist, MRA