Drug & Alcohol Updates
If you are not currently conducting substance abuse testing through USIS, and you would like more information on these services, please call (866) 205-6129.

Regulatory Updates:

From the U.S. Department of Labor:

Editor’s Comment: It is important to understand the significance found with the increasing use of methamphetamine and the reason for recent restrictions placed on over-the-counter medications containing pseudoephedrine, the key ingredient in methamphetamine. The following two items extracted from the Department of Labor (DOL) announcements help place the proper perspective on this dangerous drug.

Report Determines Cost of Methamphetamine Use in Benton County, Ark. Could Have National Implications

In a report entitled, “The Economic Impact of Methamphetamine Use in Benton County, Arkansas,” the University of Arkansas’ Center for Business and Economic Research at the Sam M. Walton College of Business finds that meth-addicted employees cost each business just under $47,500 per year. About 50 percent of that cost is due to increased absenteeism and another 32 percent is due to lost productivity. read more

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The Benefits of Implementing a Drug-Free Workplace Testing Program

The following was published in the Journal of Construction Engineering and Management.

The study shows that the implementation of a drug-free workplace program directly influences a reduction in injury incident rates and worker’s compensation experience rating modification factors, reducing the amount for workers’ compensation premiums.

The average company that performs drug testing in the study sample experiences a 51 percent reduction in its injury rate within two years of implementing a drug testing program from a rate of 8.92 incidents per 200,000 work hours to 4.36 incidents. The difference was proven statistically significant when compared to the 14 percent decline in the average construction firm during the same time period. read more

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Did You Know?

Commonly Abused Stimulants

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Focus On:

The DAC News Service seeks to inform by providing information on topics of broad interest and concern to employers. Therefore, from time-to-time, we will select subjects we believe to be relevant and informative to the workplace environment. This month’s topic discusses cocaine use and abuse.

Cocaine Use and Abuse

Cocaine is a powerfully addictive stimulant that directly affects the brain. Cocaine was labeled "the drug" of the 1980s and 1990s because of its extensive popularity and use during this period. However, cocaine is not a new drug. In fact, it is one of the oldest known drugs.

The pure chemical, cocaine hydrochloride, has been an abused substance for more than 100 years, and coca leaves, the source of cocaine, have been ingested for thousands of years. Pure cocaine was first extracted from the leaf of the Erythroxylon coca bush, which grows primarily in Peru and Bolivia, in the mid-19th century.

In the early 1900s, it became the main stimulant drug used in most of the tonics/elixirs that were developed to treat a wide variety of illnesses. Today, cocaine is a Schedule II drug, meaning that it has high potential for abuse, but can be administered by a doctor for legitimate medical uses, such as local anesthesia for some eye, ear and throat surgeries. read more

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The 2006 MVR Book and Decoder Digest Have Arrived!

Highly recommended for better understanding MVRs, the 2006 MVR Book and Decoder Digest are comprehensive reference books intended for professionals using driver history and motor vehicle records. Each year, state motor vehicle departments make numerous changes that affect the employment screening and insurance industries. For example, states update and add to their violation codes, modify their fee structures and revise restrictions of the release of driver information. These books provide valuable information about each state’s records so you can make more informed decisions. read more

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USIS Schedule

View the 2006 Schedule for Commercial Services.

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Published by USIS
Copyright © 2006 USIS. All rights reserved.

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