Did you know that since its start back in 1972 Burlington has managed to grow to over 631 stores throughout America? With a revenue of over US$6 billion in 2017 it is unsurprising that the company is one of the most impressive brands in the United States.
However, if you want to be one of its 40,000 employees in any of the 45 states Burlington can be found, the chances are pretty high that you will need to pass a pre-employment drug test.
What Is A Pre-Employment Drug Test?
Often companies will insist that before they can offer you a position within the company that you have to pass a drug and alcohol test. Occasionally this may be done as part of the application process, but it is more normal to make this a condition of employment when they offer you a contract. If you fail, you obviously will not be hired. In some instances, the company may also put a new hire on a probationary period, with a condition of passing mandatory drug tests during this time.
If you have not heard of this probationary process you may find that it is not actually allowed under the employment laws in your state. Also, since 1990 it is a breach of employment law in America to include alcohol as part of preemployment screening process.
With Burlington the testing process may vary, you may find more details here, and not everyone will automatically be tested. A lot of time pre-employment drug testing will be based on either the role you will be hired for, and occasionally it is based on the policy of the individual store.
What Are Drug Tests Looking For?
Although there are several different types of pre-employment drug screening tests, the most common is a ‘5 panel’ test that is looking for meth, marijuana, cocaine, opiates or PCP. There is also a common 8 panel test that will additionally test for traces of downers, tranquilizers (e.g. Valium), or Quaaludes.
If you are medically prescribed any substance you fall into a messy grey area of the law. https://www.lawyers.com/legal-info/labor-employment-law/can-i-be-fired-from-my-job-for-using-legal-marijuana.html Much of the time whether you get the job, or get fired, after receiving a positive result in a drug test will depend on the type of substance, the job you are doing, and both the company policy and the law of the state. Regarding medical marijuana if you are impaired in anyway while working because of your use of cannabis then you probably don’t have much recourse. However, whether they can fire you for using marijuana when you are not working is very much up for legal debate, and the law on this is in a state of flux at the moment, with precedents being set both for and against in different states.
What Type Of Testing Will I Get?
The main type of drug tests are collecting samples of either your saliva, breath blood, urine or hair. Each sample type has a different purpose, different ability to detect drugs over a period of time, and different costs associated with them. Although the costs are covered by the company requesting you be drug tested, this is an influencing factor over which type of test is administered.
Urine Drug Testing
For the vast majority of pre-employment screening a simple urine test is administered.
As it sounds, this involved you peeing into a collection container, or directly into a specimen cup. Although most of the time you will be given privacy to do so, in some situations a nurse or lab technician, of the same gender as you, will actually watch you urinate. This is to confirm that the urine came from your bladder and wasn’t switched out using either fake urine or a clean sample from someone else.
With modern urine drug testing the specimen cups are usually able to detect immediately if the urine has been altered, such as with a substance like bleach added to try to obscure the results; if the contents are not actually urine, such as substituting with a mix of water and soya or any of the other strange mixes you will find suggested on the internet; or if it is not the right temperature, implying that you are either very ill, or that the sample is not actually yours. The temperate control will pick up fake urine powder that has just been mixed with cold water or frozen urine that has either been over defrosted in the microwave or is still only partially defrosted.
Hair Drug Analysis
Although relatively non-invasive, hair testing is a more expensive method of drug testing that the urine test. It requires a sample of 50 – 100 strands of hair from your head to be cut, quite close to your scalp. Generally, these will be taken from discrete spots and from all over your head rather than just one section.
Hair samples are able to be used to detect long term drug use but cannot tell if you are currently under the influence of a substance.
Saliva Drug Testing
Although called Saliva testing, technically a range of bodily fluids can be used, included nasal drip. Generally, an applicator similar to a cotton bud is used to wipe the inside of your cheek until it is saturated with fluid. There are collection kits that can give instant results, but these are really only used if immediate action is required, such as police about to make an arrest, as they are not as accurate as a proper laboratory analysis. The sample will be checked to confirm that it hasn’t be diluted and that it is human, as well as looking for traces of drugs or drug metabolites.
Breath Testing
This is more likely to be used by roadside police after an accident or during random stop searches, as they are designed more for detecting alcohol that other drugs. Although some units are able to detect marijuana use, their reliability has been debatable.
Blood Drug Analysis
This is the most invasive form of testing but is very accurate. It must be administered by a qualified nurse or technician.