Drug-related accidents which happened at work have risen in the last couple of years, and more and more regulations have been passed tightening the grip on such drug abuse. It is not only drug abuse that is causing a rise in accidents, the problem expands on health issues of the ones employed, as people often suffering from different chronic illnesses are operating delicate machines which can hurt other employees.
It often happens that during a heart attack, a bus driver causes a chain traffic accident. Therefore, more and more regulations have been passed in the last couple of years on drug testing and health monitoring in the working environment preventing accidents from happening. In the text below, we’ll discuss the importance of keeping this practice alive and going.
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Helping the employee
Drug testing is often associated with the disruption of someone’s privacy and liberal advocates are advocating for lesser restrictions as it is the personal choice of the individual what she/he does in their free time. While this might be true to some extent, the problem becomes a problem of the boss, if the person is using them on a regular basis and therefore damaging their motoric skills, concentration, memory, and nervous system.
This also means that the person can no longer fulfill their duty and actively engage in the job like before. Also, such tests have a preventive purpose, meaning they can determine if the employee has a substance abuse problem or addiction, meaning an early intervention can be made to save the life of the employee.
When it comes to health monitoring, this is similar as the employee can easily suffer from a disease he or she does not know of and therefore is unaware.
Prevention of accidents
As said in the introduction, the prevention of accidents is a major concern of such regulations and therefore is helping the lives of others. This reason has a utilitarian nature, meaning it has public interest and takes the lives of others into the account. Often, people prone to substance abuse suffer from several consequences and can make mistakes while operating machines. This is not only a problem when it comes to heavy industry and machine operating, this can also be a problem in cooperative firms.
In such an environment, the person doing this can easily affect others, causing fights, spreading negative energy, or giving other employees substances. If you are having suspicions about someone, you can check out DrugTestCity.com as they offer drug tests, free shipping, and customer services for additional information mostly all the time. The early prevention of these problems can have a major impact on the working atmosphere. Have in mind that people are generally acquiring a group mentality, meaning if someone is doing it, chances are others won’t say anything as means of not standing out and therefore the only way to get to the truth is by checking.
The alleged violation of privacy only applies to the individual or can be applied until he or she becomes a risk to himself or herself, but when the lives of others are at issue, any such invasion is overridden.
It costs the company
As said, the accidents which might occur due to these problems are affecting the whole company, and not just the individual or workforce. For example, if people operating in high positions are making calculation mistakes, cutting bad deals, or behaving irresponsibly, this can affect the company, its good image, and reputation.
Therefore, the company can lose money, prestige, and its position among the competitors. This consequently leads to cuts and people are getting fired and losing their jobs, affecting hundreds of family members. This can also be applied if the person is suffering from an illness affecting their perception, logical reasoning, and decision making. Many underlying disorders can impact someone’s mood and, in severe circumstances, create the above-mentioned difficulties, therefore not all diseases are heart-related or diabetes-related.
Therefore, health monitoring and drug testing are saving the company and the ones working there.
Helping the ones who already went through rehab
This aspect of drug testing is often overlooked as people generally think of it in terms of company interest. But, regular drug testing can easily prevent the individual from relapsing and going back to substance abuse. This part is especially important as statistics show increasing numbers of rehabilitated drug users falling back into the clutches of this old vice.
Often, all it takes is someone to keep an eye on them and make sure they’re doing good. If there are even the tiniest indications that someone is using again, intervention can be swift and successful. This also gives the individual the support they need to get through this tough period.
