This comprehensive text provides clear explanations of the effects of drugs on human performance and the need for workplace drug testing. It provides essential information on the regulatory and legal frameworks around the world, how to set policies and coverage of all aspects of drug analysis and the associated interpretation of results.Contents include:* epidemiology of drug use in the working population* the evidence base and guidelines for workplace drug testing* legal, regulatory aspects and policies for drugs and alcohol* urine and alternative sample collection process* analytical techniques and specimen adulteration.Case studies of successful programmes are also included to illustrate the principles discussed.Written by internationally acknowledged experts this informative book will be essential reading for anyone interested in workplace drug testing or setting up such a system including clinical and forensic toxicologists, occupational health physicians, nurses, human resources, drug counselling and treatment providers, analytical chemists and lawyers.Alain Verstraete is Professor at the Department of Clinical Chemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium and Department Head of the Toxicology Laboratory of the Laboratory of Clinical Biology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.

This authoritative book examines what we know and don't know about workforce and workplace substance involvement, including popular myths about the prevalence, causes, and productivity outcomes of employee substance use.

Deteriorating job performance resulting from alcohol and drug dependency requires special handling and specific skills. Developing these skills and learning what to do with them are not difficult tasks. Employee assistance program professionals provide such training for key personnel. Focusing on strategic intervention designed to help employees with personal problems that interfere with job performance, Walter Scanlon describes the functions and benefits of employee assistance programs (EAPs), discusses their training and consultation objectives, and shows how EAPs effectively identify and address such problems. An important EAP goal is to reduce both the incidence of alcohol- and drug-related problems and the costs associated with them. EAPs target employees whose work performance has deteriorated because of chemical dependency or other personal problems. Scanlon has divided his discussion of EAPs into seven workable segments: the concept of EAP; EAP history; the history of drug and alcohol use; current drug and alcohol use in the United States; the legal, corporate, societal, and individual influences on rehabilitation and EAP; governmental influences including the Drug Free Workplace Act and mandatory drug screening; and cost considerations, including the trend toward managed health care.

Abuse of drugs and alcohol may cause serious difficulties at work including deterioration in job performance. Abuse is caused by a range of personal, family, social or work situations or a combination of such factors. This report presents a variety of multidisciplinary approaches to the prevention, assistance, treatment and rehabilitation of alcohol- and drug-related problems in the workplace. Although experience has shown the difficulty of eliminating substance abuse, the policies presented are likely to yield constructive results for workers and employers alike.