Drug testing
As a result of the increased use of drugs in the workplace, more and more companies have begun to use some form of drug testing for both job applicants and existing employees. For example, the percentage of fortune 500 companies routinely using urinalysis on job applicants and/or existing employees to detect drug use grew from 5 percent in 1983 to almost 33 percent in 1987. In 1992, 64 percent of large U.S. firms were estimated to have some type of drug testing program. While many, if not most, large-companies to utilize drug testing, the practice is far less prevalent in small business. Estimates show that approximately 2 to 3 percent of enterprises with 50 or fewer employees have drug testing programs. Certain legal risks are involved in drug testing, and therefore extreme caution should be exercised. An employer can be exposed to substantial liability for defamation for making a false accusation of drug or alcohol use (juries have made awards as high as $450,000 for such defamation). The following guidelines are suggested for implementing a drug-testing a drug-testing program: