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Secaucus, NJ — The percentage of U.S. workers who tested positive for fentanyl in random on-the-job drug tests was seven times greater than the percentage of people whose preemployment tests came back positive, according to Quest Diagnostics’ annual Drug Testing Index for 2024.
Researchers from the lab services provider examined the results of more than 8 million samples taken last year. The samples came from both the general workforce and employees in safety-sensitive jobs who undergo federally mandated drug testing (including pilots, truck drivers and train conductors).
The combined U.S. workforce urine drug positivity dropped to 4.4% from 4.6% in 2023. However, researchers observed that positivity for fentanyl was 707% higher in random tests (1.13%) – which are unscheduled and unannounced – compared with preemployment tests (0.14%). This suggests more workers are using the opioid after they’ve passed preemployment screenings.
Over the past five years, the random fentanyl positivity rate is 400% higher than in preemployment testing. By contrast, random positive tests for marijuana were 42% lower than preemployment testing over that same span.
- 60% of specimens positive for fentanyl among the general workforce in random tests also were positive for other drugs, including marijuana (22%) and amphetamines (16%).
- Marijuana (0.87%) had the highest positivity rate of any drug among the federally mandated safety-sensitive workforce.
- Among the federally mandated safety-sensitive workforce, the drug positivity rate was 2.3% in 2024 – down from 2.4% a year earlier.
- The post-accident positivity rate for the general U.S. workforce was 10.2% last year, down from 10.4% in 2023.
“It is disturbing to see increased use of fentanyl on the job and in combination with other drugs, given fentanyl’s extreme potency, which can increase risk of impairments, accidents and potential overdose,” Suhash Harwani, senior director of science for workforce health solutions at Quest, said in a press release. “It also raises concern that employees are turning to a dangerous drug like fentanyl after they’ve passed a preemployment drug screen, putting the overall wellness of the workforce at risk.”
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Original article published by Safety+Health an NSC publication