¶ … drug and alcohol testing for commercial truck drivers. Specifically, it will discuss the merits of testing, and why it is a necessity for public safety. Drug testing of all employees has come under fire in recent years for a wide variety of reasons - however, drug testing for those employees who carry a Commercial Driver's License (CDL), is mandated by the Federal Government, and this is imperative for public safety on America's roads and highways.
Drug and Alcohol Testing for Commercial Truck Drivers
Drug and alcohol testing has come under fire from many groups, from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), who feel it violates any employee's rights, to groups who advocate testing should be increased, rather than decreased. One area of drug and alcohol testing that has stood up to opposition is the testing of commercial truck drivers. The Federal Government began requiring mandatory drug testing of drivers beginning in 1995, (depending on the size of the company - smaller companies had until 1996 to begin testing). Anyone who applies for a CDL license must successfully complete a substance abuse test before the license is issued, and these tests must be repeated throughout their employment, as this white paper on the testing states:
Companies are to randomly test drivers at a minimum annual percentage rate of 25% of the number of drivers for each selection period for alcohol testing, and 50% for controlled substances testing. The random alcohol test must be performed immediately prior, during or immediately after a driver is about to, or has performed a safety sensitive function as defined in Section 395.2. All drivers must have an equal chance of being selected" (Staff, 1994).
Other merits of the policy are clearly seen when we think of many other situations when a driver is responsible for the safety of others, as in a school or tour bus driver. Often, these drivers must undergo physical examinations for heart disease and other diseases that could suddenly affect them on the job, and this holds true for substance abuse testing as well. No one wants to be a passenger on a vehicle where the driver is impaired in any way, and substance testing is one way to ensure the safety of the passengers as well as the safety of other vehicles sharing the road.
Obviously, one of the most important issues facing successful testing is the validity of the results, as this situation with a bus driver who was suspended because his urinalysis showed marijuana in his system clearly indicates. "News of his suspension and the test results spread to the bus driver's family, co-workers, and acquaintances. Two weeks after…
Drug-testing in schools has been shown to reduce the use of drugs as well as reduce other negative activities and occurrences known to be associated with drug use among students. There are critical components of a drug testing program and this study has related those components and the appropriateness of their use in a school drug testing program. Bibliography Yamaguchi, Ryoko; Johnston, Lloyd D. And O'Malley, Patrick M. (2003) Relationships Between
As a result, unions today are completing a variety of drug screens on construction workers who are members to ensure compliance to the federal law (Fournier, 2006). Unions have also acknowledged publicly that drug abuse in the construction industry is particularly acute and that there needs to be a continual focus on improving the screening methods to ensure compliance (Fournier, 2006). Like the U.S., Canada has aggressively pursued this
This would also serve to improve the relationship and the trust between the teachers, students and their parents. Bibliography OHSU, (Dec 2002), 'Pilot Study Reports High School Drug-Testing Program Dramatically Reduces Drug Use', Retrieved on February 23rd 2008, from, http://www.ohsu.edu/unparchive/2002/123002saturn.html Robert Taylor, (1997) 'Compensating Behavior and the Drug Testing of High School Athletes', CATO Journal, Retrieved on Feb 24th 2008, at http://web.psdomain.ucdavis.edu/people/faculty/rstaylor/Drug%20Testing.pdf Jennifer Kern, Fatema Gunja, Alexandra Cox, Marsha Rosenbaum, Ph.D., Judith Appel, J.D.
The first condition of libertarianism is thus fulfilled. Now we come to the second part. If an employer chooses to have his employees tested, he should have made it absolutely clear when hiring them that they would be tested. It was then up to them to decide whether they wanted to work for his firm or not. If the employer decided to have a new policy of drug testing
It so happened that Russian doctor Karlov was trying to find patients for another clinical trial for an experimental drug, and Ershov fit the requirements to enter the study. "They told me the treatment was safe," says Ershov. "I trust my doctor completely." Like 90% of Karlov's other clinical-trial patients, he immediately signed the consent form (Lustgarten, p. 1). Russia is one of those countries that suffers from high
Drug Testing / Police Coercion Probationers/parolees Rights Individuals classified as either probationers or parolees occupy an intermediate position in regard to their constitutional rights. They do not enjoy the full range of rights afforded ordinary citizens but they enjoy greater freedom and rights than those who are incarcerated. Probationers/parolees have a reduced expectation of privacy in comparison to regular citizens. In general, the rules of probation and parole, as recognized by the
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