are all office workers in US subject to random drug tests?

TigerUK

TigerUK

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Aug 23, 2008
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watching judge judy, and there's a case of a guy who got sent to prison because he had "dirty urine" which I can only assume that he passed the drug test.

that was the sole reason for going to prison so Im assuming this was a random drug test done by his employers.

Does stuff like this usually happen in the states?
 


If the guy was on probation or parole, he might have had to take a periodic test as a condition. That's the only way it would make legal sense for him to go to prison.

I don't think employers can get you arrested because you happen to test positive for something they don't like. Mostly they just use testing before hiring, and possibly randomly depending on the job. If you get a random test come up positive, generally you would be let go. Several don't test at all unless you have an accident on the job and they need to file under Workman's Comp. which will deny the claim if you test positive for drugs. Not all employers test, though. Fuck the ones that do.
 
Some employers make you take a drug test before they hire you. It's usually just a one-time thing unless you're in a hazardous job or something similar. But it's a contractual thing.
 
Judge Judy and shows like it are all totally fabricated, it's just entertainment for old people who's lives are too boring to ever appear in court themselves. You should be ashamed for being a dull enough person to watch such a show (and for considering an office desk job, how much ritalin do they have you on? Do you see everything in shades of gray?).

Also- I've tested positive for drug tests when I used to have a regular job. Nothing happened.
 
Judge Judy is not actually fabricated, it's real but she's not a real judge, you sign a contract to abide by the judgement and if you don't they can sue you for breach of contract or some shit along those lines.
 
geomark said:
You sign a contract to go to prison if that's her judgment? How does that work?
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She's a small claims court judge; can't send anyone anywhere... Only make them pay up to $5k.

But when I was younger I learned quite a lot about the laws here watching that show. You wouldn't believe how many different situations there are where you don't know who's in the right... Such a fucked up legal system we have.
 
@TigerUK, some UK employers drug test too, but only when it's safety related (pilots, train drivers, air traffic controllers).

Otherwise, it could fall foul of privacy/human rights law.

This thread has highlighted something interesting for me: US & Europe have very different priorities in what the consider to be inviolable rights.

For example - the Europeans have much stronger privacy protection. As far as I'm aware, there is no US federal equivalent to data protection acts, or human rights legislation.

US law, by contrast places more emphasis on freedom of action, such as free speech & gun ownership. In most of EU, there isn't a strong protection for free speech (although it's certainly not prohibited), and gun ownership is curtailed.


Not saying one is better than the other, just noticing.

EDIT: oh, and JJ technically acts as a private arbitrator, not a judge. Most jurisdictions have provision for enforcement (e.g. making people pay) of arbitration awards in their civil code these days, but she can't send anyone to prison.
 
Judge Judy is actually one of my favourite daytime tv show.

It's actually quite interesting, some of the characters that turn up and their claims ridiculous.. a guy gives his ex wife a beating, she's black and blue all over her body and the ex wife sues for damages, the guy counter sues for the return of his "collectable toy car". LOL.
 
Most probably a probation violation of some sort. You can't get arrested for "doing drugs" in the USA, but "having drugs in your possession". Even the tiniest fleck of coke (I have seen them arrest people on COPS for residue in a dime baggie, that the fiend had tried their hardest to lick clean).

"being fucked up in public" is a completely different charge.
 
As far as I'm aware, random drug tests are up to the company. Want a job? They have every right to tell you to piss in a bottle. If you don't like it, don't work there.

At least I know ExxonMobil as random drug testing for offshore employees, as do basically all oil companies for offshore rigs. Before the helicopter flight out, they'll just randomly choose a few seat numbers. If you end up taking that seat, you're pissing in a bottle. If you don't like it, go get a new job.
 
Andrew Scherer said:
As far as random drug tests for office workers, I believe this only applies to government employees but I could be wrong.
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We actually had a random drug testing program at a new car dealership I worked at before I started working from home. It was even a small dealership, just like 50 employees, and I was actually in charge of picking names for it as the finance manager. Plus I live in a tiny little town.

However, that was the first place I ever worked in this area that did random tests. I think only one other even did a pre-employment screening, so it is rare.
 
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