As an employer, it is your responsibility to ensure the safety of your employees and customers. This can improve employee morale, customer reputation, and prevent lawsuits. Drug tests are a
As an employer, it is your responsibility to ensure the safety of your employees and customers. This can improve employee morale, customer reputation, and prevent lawsuits.
Drug tests are a great way to verify that your employees are abiding by company policies and not risking the health and safety of others. However, certain tests can have inconclusive results. This can be concerning, as you cannot confirm any results with potential hires, leaving you in a complicated position as the employer.
In this article, we will explain why drug tests can come back inconclusive, what this means, and how you should proceed moving forward.
It is important to note that inconclusive drug tests aren’t failed drug tests. This type of result does not confirm that an individual was abusing any illegal substance. Instead, it means that a mishap occurred during the screening process.
A test can be inconclusive for a variety of reasons. One of the most common is internal adulteration, usually when someone drinks excessive amounts of water to over-dilute their urine. Depending on the lab, they may be able to identify if an individual tried to over-dilute their sample. While this isn’t a verification, it can be a telling sign of potential substance abuse.
External adulteration can occur as well. This is when an individual adds substances to alter the chemistry of their sample. While an internal adulteration can be seen as a harmless mistake, this is more indicative of purposeful manipulation. In any case, a retest will be necessary.
In addition, issues can also occur at the testing facility. For example, samples may have been improperly stored, or there could be unforeseen delays. If this happens, a retest will need to happen. However, since it is not an employee error, there would be no indication of potential substance abuse.
No, you can not be fired for an inconclusive drug test. Companies cannot terminate an employee contract without reasonable cause. An inconclusive drug test does not provide concrete evidence; therefore, it does not qualify as grounds for firing.
However, if inconclusive results were due to internal or external adulteration, then it may be seen as suspicious. Specifically, external adulteration is more concerning as it is planned tampering. On the other hand, drinking too much water before a test can be considered accidental.
Regardless of the reason, a retest will be required. If you are an employee, be sure to explain any issue that could have occurred. Along with excessive water intake, certain medications can alter urine samples. Usually, the testing company will advise you on what not to do moving forward.
If another inconclusive result appears, then serious conversations should occur. In particular, ignoring the testing company’s instructions will weaken your validity and trustworthiness. Depending on company policy, this can lead to termination.
It should be understood that an inconclusive drug test may have more severe consequences during a hiring process. Companies may not hire potential candidates after an inconclusive drug test.
At Soteria Screening, it is our mission to help keep companies safe through in-depth and effective drug testing services.
Our services include: background checks, physical exams, DOT, and non-DOT drug screenings. You can order comprehensive tests online at your convenience. With constantly changing federal and state regulations, it can be difficult to know which policies to follow. Our expert staff are fully knowledgeable and up-to-date with any regulation changes.
For more information, please call us at 202-679-6670. We would love to work with you.
