general U . S . workforce and since 2010 in the federally mandated , safety-sensitive workforce .
“ Increases in post-accident positivity among safety-sensitive workers should serve as a warning to employers that employee drug use may increase the risk of workforce accidents or injuries ,” said Kimberly Samano , PhD , scientific director , Quest Diagnostics . “ Our analysis suggests that employers committed to creating a safe , drug-free work environment should incorporate strategies that monitor drug use above and beyond pre-employment drug screening .”
Findings show an increased percentage of urine specimens in both the federally mandated , safety-sensitive and general U . S . workforces reported as invalid due to inconsistency with normal human urine , suggesting attempts at specimen adulteration or substitution . Between 2017 and 2018 , the percentage of invalid results in the federally mandated , safety-sensitive workforce jumped 80 percent ( 0.15 % versus 0.27 %), and 40 % in the general U . S . workforce ( 0.15 % versus 0.21 %).
The Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index ( DTI ) is a series of reports that provide insights into trends in workforce drug use , based on positivity results for de-identified laboratory testing performed by Quest Diagnostics for a range of illicit , legal and prescription drugs . It examines test results according to three categories of workers : federally mandated , safety-sensitive workers ; the general workforce ; and the combined U . S . workforce . Federally mandated , safety-sensitive workers include pilots , bus and truck drivers , and workers in nuclear power plants , for whom routine drug testing is mandated by the U . S . Department of Health and Human Services . Quest Diagnostics has analyzed annual workplace drug testing data since 1988 .
The strengths of the DTI analysis include its large , nationally representative sample size , longitudinal monitoring , a testing population that is generally reflective of the U . S . workforce and the quality of the company ’ s drug testing services to confirm positive results . Limitations include analysis only of employers that perform drug testing with the company , and a lack of exact cross-specimen comparisons due to variations in substances for which
employers test . Quest Diagnostics has analyzed annual workplace drug testing data since 1988 and publishes the findings as a public service .
In addition to workplace drug testing , Quest conducts clinician-ordered drug testing services through its Prescription Drug Monitoring program to aid the detection of potentially dangerous forms of prescription and illicit drug use . For more information on Quest ’ s prescription drug monitoring services , visit QuestDrugMonitoring . com
Derived from a database of clinical lab results , Quest Diagnostics ’ analyses are designed to yield diagnostic insights to identify and treat disease , inspire healthy behaviors and improve health care management . Quest says it annually serves one in three adult Americans and half the physicians and hospitals in the United States . l FON
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