Keeping your workplace healthy, safe, and compliant with state and federal laws is important to the survival and growth of your business. This means making sure that your employees are immune to certain diseases, as well as testing them for drugs and alcohol. This can happen through urine or hair drug testing.

Let’s talk a little more about what exactly employers should consider screening for.

If you’re ready to take the next step, learn more about eNational’s employment screenings and order your test online in just a few clicks.

What to Include in Employment Screening

Testing your employees protects you as the business owner, your other team members, and everyone you work with. Here are a few things you might want to be on the lookout for.

1. Tuberculosis (TB)

In some lines of work, TB tests are required. For example, it’s often mandatory for employees who work in healthcare, education, correctional facilities, and homeless shelters. This is because tuberculosis can be more prevalent in these environments and thus spread more easily.

Tuberculosis affects mainly the lungs and can be very serious. It also easily spreads when an infected person coughs or sneezes, releasing droplets into the air. There are two types of TB: latent and active. Latent TB shows no symptoms and can’t be spread. People with active TB, however, can infect others. While tuberculosis is far less common than it was in the past, reported cases have fluctuated over the years. So, testing is still important.

Determining if someone has been exposed to tuberculosis is easy with the QuantiFERON-TB Gold test. eNational runs this test with a simple blood draw, and results are available in two to five business days. There is also the skin test, which many providers still offer. However, the blood test offers the benefit of only requiring one visit. With the skin test, the patient must return between 48 and 72 hours so that the provider can confirm if there was a reaction.

2. Drugs and Alcohol

Drug and alcohol use in the workplace end up costing employers billions of dollars every year. They increase the occurrence of on-the-job accidents and crime; they hurt productivity and quality; and they’re bad for morale.

Things are even trickier these days since many employees work from home unsupervised. Furthermore, cannabis use is at an all-time high. How can employers ensure that, while they’re on company time, employees are showing up prepared to do the best job they can? This is where drug and alcohol screening comes in.

You can drug test employees prior to hiring them, at random, based on reasonable suspicion, after an accident, and before they can return to their position. eNational offers a variety of drug testing options, including urine drug testing and hair drug testing. We screen for some of the most commonly abused drugs, including marijuana, cocaine, opiates, and amphetamines. In addition, you can opt for expanded testing options that will include designer drugs, synthetic cannabinoids, and synthetic opioids, among other substances. We have panels that screen for up to 12 substances, and we also have panels that combine drug testing with alcohol urine testing.

We always comply with state and federal regulations (keeping up to date on changes in laws around marijuana usage), and results are delivered securely and confidentially.

3. Blood Titers to Check Immunity

Because many of us receive our vaccinations as children, when we get older, we don’t always remember what we have received or if we’re still immune to them. That’s where blood titers come in.

A blood titer test will tell someone if they’re already immune to a certain disease — whether it’s because they were vaccinated against it or they were previously ill with it. That way, they know exactly what vaccines they still need to receive.

eNational offers blood titer tests for hepatitis A, B, and C antibodies; measles, mumps, rubella (MMR); rabies antibody; and varicella antibody IgG. A blood draw is required, and the results are delivered within three business days — with the exception of rabies, which can take up to four weeks. (So, if you need this one for travel reasons, be sure to do it well in advance!)

Blood titers are important because some vaccines need boosters in order to continue providing protection. If and when you need a booster depends on the specific vaccine. Your provider will be able to help you identify which vaccines you might need updates on. If those vaccines need to be delivered on a specific schedule, they’ll also help you plan in advance for that.

If you’re an employer who wants to screen/test your employees — or you’re an employee or job candidate who needs to get a test — eNational is here to help. We have more than 2,000 locations all across the United States, and you don’t need a doctor’s order before coming to us. Scheduling a test is fast and easy and can be done on our website within seconds. Simply select the tests you want, add them to your cart, and check out! Choose the location most convenient, and your results will be delivered via email.

Should your results indicate that you need to follow up, you’ll be able to speak with a healthcare provider about any treatments or next steps.

Keeping the people in your workplace happy, healthy, and safe is vital to your overall operations. It contributes to morale, productivity, and — yes! — your bottom line. Order your test online today or contact us with any questions.