loyer certify that he or she will provide a drug free workplace in accordance with the directives of the act. However, it does not require drug testing or searches of suspected offenders, and it does not ban alcohol from the workplace:
Employers who do not have a ready made set of government rules to follow have a more difficult path to follow in developing polices and procedures that can effectively deal with the problems of substance abuse in the workplace (Fuqua & McHaney, 1995).
There are different types of tests conducted to ascertain drug use and abuse, and it is an oversimplification to treat drug testing as a homogenous set of procedures. Drug testing actually represents a broad set of possible interventions or testing mechanisms. These mechanisms involve different levels of intrusion and may be used at different points in the employment process. Among the means used are biochemical tests such as urinalysis, blood and saliva analysis, and hair analysis; observational methods considering physiological indicators such as nystagmus, or pupil dilation, or performance tests conducted by drug recognition experts; self report measures; background investigations; and polygraph testing. These methods applied to drug testing have engendered considerable resistance among workers for a number of reasons. Research confirms frequent resistance on the part of employees and prospective employees to drug testing, and among the factors that are found to influence employee reactions are job characteristics (meaning the likelihood of danger due to drug impairment); type of drug used and tested for; the personnel action taken against employees testing positive; the chance employees have to appeal; the availability of advance notice; and whether random or for cause testing is being done. There are also fairly strong negative reactions noted for routine and repeated use of such testing for post employment purposes rather than as part...