When you are injured at work in St. Louis, there are a number of things that can happen next. What is certain is that you should report your injury as soon as possible, speak with a St. Louis work injury lawyer, and see a company doctor. What is uncertain is whether or not your employer will conduct a drug test on you. Below, we explain everything you need to know about this practice and how it effects to your potential benefits.
General Best Practices
If you are subject to a drug test, it will quickly become a thing of the past if you pass it. To do so, you should follow three basic guidelines: Never take any illegal drugs, never consume alcohol before work, and only take medication if you have a doctor's permission. If you follow these recommendations, your drug test will either come up clean, or you will have a prescription to explain a substance you were flagged for. Either way, your compensation will typically be safe.
Why Testing is Conducted
Work injuries cost your employer a large amount of money. Because of this, they want to make sure you are deserving of benefits before agreeing to pay them. One reason why you might not be eligible is if you fail a drug test. If you do, your employer may partially or fully blame you for the incident and decrease the benefits they pay out to you.
Intoxication Tests
The first type of test your employer might give you is one that measures intoxication. This will be given the day of your injury, and it will test if you are on a mind-altering substance at that moment. The most common of these tests is for blood alcohol content, which will determine if you consumed alcohol or not. There are a few other tests for alternate substances, but they are less reliable when it comes to measuring intoxication in the moment.
Broad Drug Testing
Another method your employer might use is a broad drug test. This data is obtained through urine or blood, and it measures substances in your system. Depending on the drug, you could have consumed it days or even weeks ago, and it will still show up on a test. This means that even if you were not intoxicated at the time of your injury, recent drug use could affect your case.
What Failing Could Mean For Your Benefits
Failing either of the two drug tests described above could reduce or eliminate your compensation. If it is determined that you were intoxicated in the moment, you will almost surely lose your benefits. If you fail a broad drug test, you are more likely to see a reduction rather than losing it all. Either way, speaking with an experienced workers comp lawyer is the best thing you can do to protect yourself.
Though many employers choose to skip post-injury drug tests, others do so readily. If this is the case in your work injury, the result could have an effect on your compensation. If you find yourself in this situation and are afraid of seeing your benefits slashed or eliminated entirely, you should talk to a St. Louis workers compensation lawyer right away.
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