Do Companies Drug Test Before Or After Background Check

August 14th, 2018 | Debbie Lamb, Sterling Talent Solutions

Don't Fear an Employment Drug Exam

When I started at Sterling, I had to become a complete background check including a criminal record check, education and employment verifications, reference checks and a drug screening to be hired for the job. It was the first time I had to get a background check and I had a lot of questions. I found that a groundwork check is not equally simple as one would think. I wasn't sure of the process, what information I had to provide, what forms I needed to fill out, how long it would take and if I took too long to provide info would it filibuster me getting hired for the job. Of all the parts of the groundwork screen, my biggest worry was doing the employment drug exam. I didn't have anything to worry near with it, merely the entire process stressed me out.

As nosotros have mentioned in previous weblog posts in our series, there are many types of employment background screening reports and it is of import to empathise what information is needed to make the screening procedure go equally smoothly and quickly as possible. The first blog mail service in our candidate employment serial, "What Y'all Need for a Criminal Record Check", shared what information needs to exist provided to either a third-party groundwork screening provider or an internal HR squad to run a criminal record check. The 2d blog shared information about what could be required for an education verification check. The tertiary web log post in the serial shared what a candidate needed to provide for employment verification. In part four of the serial, we shared how an employment credit cheque is non the same as having your credit report run for a loan or credit card.

What is a Employment Drug Test?

A pre-employment drug test is the most common type of drug testing conducted for a background check and should only be conducted later on a conditional offer of employment has been fabricated. While most employers are not required to drug test their employees, pre-employment urine testing is mandated among federally-regulated employers who employ individuals in prophylactic-sensitive positions including truck, bus and taxi drivers, airplane pilots and railroad employees.

Information to Start a Background Cheque

It is important to be informed about the process and what information y'all need to provide for the background check. Call up to read the consent form carefully before yous sign it. Providing the correct information at the fourth dimension of consent will help to speed up the background cheque process. In gild to get started with the background check, y'all will demand to provide some personal information. Items that yous will exist asked for to complete a criminal record check include:

Total Name
Social Security Number
Engagement of Birth
Known Aliases
Current and past addresses
Commuter'south License Number

What Do I Need to Supply for a Drug Test?

A employment drug test is one of the many components of a background check. A urine examination, which detects recent drug employ, is the most unremarkably run screening method. The exam identifies recent drug use, typically in the previous one to 3 days. According to Quest Diagnostics, one of the world's largest clinical labs, the urine test is "suitable for all testing reasons – from pre-employment to random to post-blow – and can be performed for a wide range of illicit and prescription drugs. While a positive urine test does non necessarily mean that an individual was 'under the influence' at the time of the test, it has become the standard for prove of 'current use' for the U.S. Department of Labor. Urine testing is also the simply method immune for federally mandated drug tests."

A urine examination can check for the post-obit drugs: amphetamines, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, cocaine, marijuana, MDMA (ecstasy) and its metabolite, methadone, opiates, oxycodone, phencyclidine (PCP) and propoxyphene, constructed cannabinoids ("K2/Spice") and synthetic stimulants ("Bath Salts").

For someone new to the drug screening process, I did not know the procedure of collecting the sample, but the laboratory assistant explained the entire procedure to me when I arrived at the lab. A urine drug testing requires a minimum of thirty mL of urine, which is nerveless in the privacy of a restroom. The collector pours the specimen into a bottle that is sealed with tamper-axiomatic tape and handed to the lab technician where they complete the Custody and Control Form and then send it to the laboratory for testing.

Background Screening Regulations

The background screening manufacture is highly regulated past federal, country and local laws. At the federal level, background checks are regulated by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) guidelines. Co-ordinate to FCRA guidelines, employers must notify the candidate that they will be performing a groundwork bank check. The notice volition explain that the results of the groundwork bank check will be used for hiring, promotion or memory. Afterward explaining the intent of performing a background bank check, employers must receive consent (either on paper or online) from a job candidate to run a criminal tape bank check and that the results will exist used in making hiring decisions.

As you have seen described throughout the candidate screening tips blog mail series, there are many aspects to a background screen from criminal record checks to employment verifications to credit checks to drug screening. Each company volition require different checks for the positions that they demand to fill. Agreement what information you lot need to be prepared for the background check will help the turnaround time and put you a step ahead of other candidates. For other questions about the process, check out FAQ at the Sterling' website.

Sterling is not a law house. This publication is for advisory purposes merely and zero contained in information technology should be construed as legal advice. We expressly disclaim whatever warranty or responsibility for damages arising out this data. Nosotros encourage yous to consult with legal counsel regarding your specific needs. Nosotros do not undertake whatever duty to update previously posted materials.