Drug testing has become more popular among U.S. employers that are looking for new hires.

According to the Society for Human Resource Management, 57 percent of American businesses required all job candidates to pass a drug test in 2011, and another 10 percent required testing for certain applicants.

Some types of businesses are more likely to do drug testing than others.

This will depend on the services the business provides. It also depends on the area where an applicant lives – some areas are prone to have more illegal drug use than others.

Meantime, employers may choose to test once as a requirement for employment while others may choose to perform random drug tests.

Among certain industries more likely to test:

Manufacturing

Jobs that require employees to use machinery for manufacturing are more likely to have more drug tests required for employees or new hires.

The number of accidents that occur when employees are using drugs are typically higher than for employees that do not use any mood altering substance.

Some of these jobs require the use of dangerous machinery may have random drug testing and almost always require a drug test if an accident does happen. It is very important for drug testing to be on a regular basis in manufacturing jobs.

Healthcare

Drug tests are part of life for people that work in health care positions.

It should not come as a big surprise this is important, as patients should never be left in the care of someone that is under the influence of any substance. Patients rely on the staff of health care facilities – any employee that is using drugs can be a danger to the welfare of patients.

This is why almost all staff undergo drug testing. As with manufacturing jobs, when an accident with staff or patients occur, there may be required drug testing.

Employers

If you are an employer, you may wonder if you should perform drug testing.

For those employers in an industry where employees will be operating machinery – such as trucking company, delivery driving, manufacturing equipment, or caring for patients in a healthcare facility – then yes, you should.

Many drug testing services exist that can help you decide how and when you should test employees. These services are aware that some people will try to cheat the system through cleanses or even purchased urine. Many services have ways to detect these cheats. Random tests can avoid this cheating.

Before instituting a drug testing policy, you must speak with current employees and let them know there will be testing, and provide forms for them to sign their consent.

Employees

Are you a job applicant?

You might be seeking a job where there are no drug testing protocols. Many people that do not use drugs choose to not take these tests as they feel it is an invasion of privacy.

Prescription drugs may show up on the test and this can allow people to find out about a problem with depression or other illness that the employee does not want as common knowledge.

There are cases of false positives due to certain medications and this can even lead to job loss. In most tests, urine testing is the most common form of test.

Employee or employer, you are going to want to weigh all your options on drug testing. Many new hires automatically assume there will be a drug test, and many times it may help you make the right choice in the hiring process.

As a business owner or employee, what has been your experience with drug testing at your company?

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About the Author: Tina Samuels writes on spokeo removal, human resources, small business, and marketing.