What Is a Urinalysis Program?

A urinalysis program is used by companies or organizations to help determine whether employees, volunteers, or participants in a program have used illicit drugs. There are a number of different programs that can be put in place, such as random testing, mandatory testing, or testing when there is reasonable suspicion. A company may chose to use any type of urinalysis program it deems fit, though there are guidelines that determine how frequently people can be tested. The downside of using any urinalysis program is that many drugs, such as opiates and methamphetamines, are flushed out of the system quickly, often within a day or so, making it difficult to find evidence of drug use.

The most commonly used urinalysis program is one of random testing. With this type of program, an employee can be notified that they are to be tested at some point while they are working. The person selected randomly will need to report promptly to a testing facility and provide a urine sample. Many organizations use a random urinalysis program because it saves the cost of testing all employees.

In other cases, a mandatory urinalysis program may be put into place. This type of program tests all employees, volunteers, or participants either before they are hired or allowed to participate in the program or at an unannounced time. If testing is mandatory, a participant in the program or an employee may refuse testing but may be fired or released from the program because of this. It is also common for a urinalysis program to be in place to test employees who return to work after an extended leave of absence.

A company may choose to perform a urinalysis test on a person if there is reasonable suspicion that the individual in question has been using illegal drugs. In this case, the person may be terminated if he declines to submit to testing. Singling out a certain employee for drug testing can lead to a lawsuit, so most companies choose to use a system of either random or mandatory testing.

A urinalysis program may also be put in place for employees that are involved in an accident on the company's property. In this instance, drug use may need to be ruled out for insurance purposes. An employee may be required to submit to a test to determine if they were under the influence of drugs or alcohol when the accident occurred.