What's next for employment drug screenings?
Businesses desperate for workers are wondering what could be next for drug screening policies.
"I'm hearing a lot about the fear that drug testing is stopping otherwise good candidates from applying for these positions or perhaps they're leaving their jobs, because of drug test," Ruth Bowdish, managing director of On Demand Occupational Medicine.
Bowdish says right now they don't have any data to suggest these trends are true, but says employers are scrambling to hire enough workers to fill open positions.
She says the legalization of medical marijuana in Ohio and employers are trying to sort out how to maintain safety in the workplace.
Local company leaders spent the day at On Demand Occupational Medicine in Austintown Tuesday, learning why a drug-free workplace is necessary to avoid injuries, damages and liabilities.
On Demand offers drug screening services and can customize programs for employers.
"When we talk about a drug-free policy being for safety purposes, it's because we don't want people to come to work under the influence," Bowdish said.
Valley companies at the meeting told 21 News they're keeping their drug-test policies, but finding enough candidates who can actually pass a drug test is slowing their progress.
"We're at a point where we have guys almost weekly that we have to look into further testing and stuff like that before you bring them on," Mathew Hartman, EHS coordinator for VEC Inc.
Gateways to Better Living offers group homes and day programs for adults with developmental disabilities. The drug-free policy across its 25 locations is mandated by the state, which can make it hard to hire candidates.
"We're constantly trying to hire people and it is a problem that we do have," Kristie Rossi said, COO of Gateways to Better Living. "A lot of times when people come in to interview, we send them for a drug screen and they do come back positive and then we are unable to hire them."
Amazon announced this month it would no longer screen some of its workers for marijuana unless they were applying to work in jobs regulated by the U.S. Department of Transportation including truck driving jobs and heavy equipment operators.
NBC News reports Amazon will instead do impairment checks on the job for drugs and alcohol use.
