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To News: Government Workers May Face Drug Test Changes By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: April 6, 2004, WASHINGTON (AP) -- The hair, saliva and sweat of federal workers could be tested for drug use under a government policy proposed Tuesday that could set screening standards for millions of private employers. The proposal will expand the methods to detect drug use among 1.6 million federal workers beyond urine samples. It is being implemented with an eye toward the private sector, however, because it would signal the government's approval for such testing, which many companies are awaiting before adopting their own screening programs. The rule is subject to a 90-day public comment period. A final plan could be issued by year's end. About 400,000 federal workers -- such as those who have security clearances, carry firearms, are involved in national security or are presidential appointees -- must undergo testing. Others are tested only if they show signs of drug use or are involved in a work-related accident. "What we think is going to happen with the introduction of alternative specimens is, it's going to make it much tougher for individuals to be able to adequately prepare and to avoid detection," said Robert Stephenson, director of the workplace programs division in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. However, the number of federal workers that attempt to defraud urine tests already is "virtually zero," Stephenson said. The positive rate for federal workers has fallen to less than 0.5 percent, from 18 percent early in the program, which began in 1986 when President Reagan issued an executive order declaring that the federal work force must be drug-free. "We expect other interested parties to use the same standards and benefit from the quality assurance procedures and certification of laboratories and products that we are in fact putting out there for federal employees," Stephenson said. "We understand that it is a broader mission." About 95 percent of the government's testing is conducted by private companies, he said. The testing industry was involved in creating the plan, but unions representing federal employees were not. The National Treasury Employees Union, with members in 29 agencies, has opposed sweat tests, claiming scientific studies have shown they are unreliable. "One of things we would want to look at closely ... is the issue of how reliable and accurate these new tests will be, and to ensure that federal employees will not suffer from a high degree of false positives or other scientific shortfalls," said Colleen M. Kelley, the union's president. |
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