An Analysis of Worker Drug Use and Workplace Policies and Programs

Fig ure 6.2Percen tageof Full-Time Workers, Age 18-49, Reporting Workplace Drug Testing Programs, by Type of Program and Establishment Size, 1994

Figure 6.2 distinguishes the presence of drug testing and the type of testing program (i.e., at hiring, randomly, upon suspicion, and post-accident) by establishment size. It is clear that drug testing, similar to the findings concerning drug and alcohol information, written policies, and employee assistance programs in the workplace outlined in Chapter 5, varies by establishment size. While 68.4 percent of workers in the largest establishment size category—500 or more employees—reported any workplace drug testing program, only 52.2 percent of workers in the intermediate size category and only 22.5 percent of workers in the small size category reported any workplace drug testing program (see also Hartwell et al., 1996). Moreover, a significantly higher percentage of workers in the large and intermediate size category than in the small size category reported each specific type of testing program. Testing at hiring was the most prevalent form of testing program employed across all establishment size categories; the relative frequency of other reasons for testing was also consistent across these three size classifications.

As illustrated in Table 6.1, the use of drug testing programs varied considerably across occupations (as did the presence or absence of information, written policies, and EAPs; see Chapter 5, Figures 5.2-5.4). Workers in protective service occupations reported the highest percentage of testing at-hiring and upon suspicion, which is likely because of the safety-sensitive nature of their work. Workers in food preparation, waitstaff, and bartending occupations reported the lowest percentage of these two kinds of testing programs. Given federal regulations that mandate drug testing for certain workers, it is not surprising that over half of the workers in transportation occupations reported random and post-accident workplace drug testing programs. Across occupational categories, testing at-hiring was by far the most frequent type of testing program reported.

Figure 6.3 breaks down the prevalence and type of drug testing program by current illicit drug use. Workers who reported current illicit drug use were less likely than those who reported no current illicit drug use to indicate that their workplace had any workplace drug testing program, at-hiring drug testing programs, and random drug testing programs. As Table 6.2 demonstrates, however, there is a strong positive association between establishment size and workers’ reports of drug testing programs, and variation by current drug use status. In small establishments (1-24 employees) there was no significant difference by current illicit drug use in the percentage of workers who reported any workplace drug testing program. However, in larger establishments (25-499 or 500 or more employees) the differences in any drug testing program by current illicit drug use were significant. Examining specific types of drug testing programs shows significant differences by current illicit drug use in random drug testing among all three size categories, and in at-hiring testing, but only among those in the intermediate size category.

Table 6.1Percentage of Full-Time Workers, Age 18-49, Reporting Workplace Drug Testing Programs, By Occupation Category and Type of Program, 1994
	Type of Testing Program
Occupation Category	At Hiring	Random	Upon Suspicion	Post-Accident
Total	35.0	20.4	27.8	22.6
Executive, Administrative & Managerial	30.5	18.6	25.9	18.0
Professional Specialty	24.5	12.6	19.9	11.9
Technicians & Related Support	36.0	20.6	35.0	20.8
Sales	26.2	14.2	19.3	16.5
Administrative Support	40.3	17.6	25.0	19.5
Protective Service	69.5	40.2	64.3	38.8
Food Preparation, Waitstaff & Bartenders	16.8	9.3	15.0	12.8
Other Service	26.3	20.0	27.8	15.8
Precision Production & Repair	35.2	24.8	28.4	32.0
Construction	30.6	24.6	24.2	25.4
Extractive & Precision Production	51.5	25.9	37.1	35.1
Machine Operators & Inspectors	53.9	27.2	42.6	39.8
Transportation & Material Moving	62.7	52.5	48.9	58.8
Handlers, Helpers & Laborers	41.5	26.4	33.5	31.4

Source: Office of Applied Studies, SAMHSA, National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, 1994-B.

This page was last updated on June 03, 2008.

SAMHSA, an agency in the Department of Health and Human Services, is the Federal Government's lead agency for improving the quality and availability of substance abuse prevention, addiction treatment, and mental health services in the United States.