Drug and Alcohol Testing: Do employers have the right to submit employees to drug and alcohol testing? Do these tests enfringe on the rights of employees?

Employee drug and alcohol abuse costs American employers billions of dollars in decreased productivity, increased liability insurance and higher workers' compensation insurance premiums. Employers may be liable for the negligence of an employee that is under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and may be held liable for negligently hiring an employee with a history of abusing drugs or alcohol. Furthermore, drug and alcohol abuse is also blamed for high employee absentee rates. All of …

…would argue that the safety of customers and other employees outweighs the rights of employees. This belief is more prevalent in business sectors that deal with potentially dangerous equipment that could result in the loss of life to a fellow employee or customer. In the case of the military, the safety of military members and the civilians they are attempting to defend is far more important than the privacy rights of any given military member.