Substance Abuse In The Workplace Essays - Drug Control Law

Substance Abuse in the Workplace As widespread drug use is on the rise, many employers have begun to worry about the performance of their employees. Absenteeism, injuries, loss of productivity, employee morale, theft and fatalities are just some of the causes of drug use in the workplace. The idea of drug testing among workers has developed from society's concern over a perceived increase in the use of drugs and the relation between drug use and impairment, with resultant risks to the worker, fellow workers and the public. As early as 1987, 21% of employers had instituted drug-testing programs. Employers have begun to think that mass drug tests are the answer to their problems. What many of these employers don't know is that there are many problems that surround drug testing at work. One of the biggest of these problems is whether or not it is constitutional to conduct drug tests on the employees. Employers fail to educate themselves with established or recent laws about drug testing in the workplace and about huma n rights. Also, mass, low-cost screening tests may not be reliable or valid. Alcohol testing does not differentiate casual drinking from alcohol dependence or alcoholism. Drug tests can create an untrustworthy environment for the employees. There are better ways to address substance abuse. Drug testing in the workplace is an important issue for all of Canada's labour force, regardless if it's you're first job or if you've had a steady job for 30 years. Many employees, who have had to subjugate themselves to degrading and demeaning drug tests, feel that these tests violate their constitutional rights. It is an infringement on their privacy. In order for the tests to make sure there is no specimen tampering there must be an administrator present to oversee every action the employee makes during their drug test. For tests such as hair and breath testing this does present a major problem, but for urine tests men and women alike are disturbed by the direct observation of their urine collection. Unfortunately, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms applies only to the laws and actions of the federal and provincial governments and their agencies. It does not apply to the policies and actions of private employers. The Charter therefore does not protect private sector employees from unreasonable drug testing. It is necessary to state that currently an employer can terminate an employee's job if the employee has been using illegal drug s and alcohol, but only if such use is not considered a disability. Alcohol or drug addiction can be viewed as a physical and/or mental disability. In Ontario, the Ontario Human Rights, Citizenship, and Multiculturalism Act prohibit employment discrimination based on disability. Employers have a responsibility to accommodate employees who are disabled. Drug testing has not been proven to be against the Canadian Human Rights Commission. "In order to institute a drug testing policy into a company which complies with human rights legislation, an employer must be able to demonstrate that the testing is related to job performance, and not just substance abuse." Many employees feel that drug testing is a way of discriminating against people who might have a drug and/or alcohol disability. An example of such discrimination is found in Entrop v. Imperial Oil Ltd. The Ontario Board of Inquiry found that Imperial Oil Limited discriminated against Martin Entrop, a senior operator at the Sarni a Refinery, because of a disability. The Board of Inquiry found that "under a new Alcohol and Drug Policy introduce in 1992, Imperial Oil employees in "safety-sensitive" positions were required to notify management if they currently had or had previously had a substance abuse problem." After Mr.Entrop heard that this policy was coming into effect he informed his employer that he had had an alcohol problem about ten years earlier, that he had attended Alcoholics Anonymous, and that he had abstained from using alcohol since 1984. Mr. Entrop had been an employee for seventeen years and he had had no problems at work that were related to substance abuse, but Imperial Oil's policy required that Mr.Entrop be immediately removed form his current position. This example clearly shows that it is discriminatory to terminate a person's job because of a past or

Essay Writing Tips - Choosing the Right APA Format Sample

Essay Writing Tips - Choosing the Right APA Format SampleThere are various essays that can be written to earn APA credit, but writing your own unique essay will ensure a higher chance of success. Whether you need to write a summary of a report or research paper, an essay to give an overview of a short story, or even a book report, you will find that there are some important guidelines to follow when writing your own essay.There are several APA format sample essays that can be found on the internet. The ones that are most effective and easily understandable are the short essays. Although the longer type of essay will require you to change your essay into a longer one, by the time you reach the latter portion of the essay, it should make sense and be easy to understand. Here are some things to consider when choosing the right APA format sample for your use.A good essay that does not meet the requirements of APA is likely to lose the audience's interest, not to mention the judges. You h ave a certain amount of control over this, so you must make sure that the topic is both specific and unique. Your essay should stand out above the rest. It should be different from the others on the list. If it is similar to other existing APA essay works, it will not be unique.Your essay should be written in a formal style. It will have to follow the proper formatting rules of APA and then it will be difficult to understand. Formal writing style is important because it will help make your essay more readable by the judges.The quality of the APA format sample should be clearly explained in the instructions that come with it. Everything from font size to spacing to margins must be clear. This is not an article that can be read with ease, so make sure that the most basic information is given first. With the basic information provided, the rest will be easy.A good essay does not need thousands of examples. It is enough to provide the most basic information that needs to be presented in a clear way. It is best to leave more detailed information for the advanced level of essay work, but if you feel the need to include more details, you can add them later on as you go along.The length of the essay should be short. One page is often all that is needed. However, shorter essays may still do well, so keep this in mind as you go along.The APA format sample essay will allow you to use many of the same topics and make some changes here and there. It is best to be bold and write something new to see if it will work. If you are unable to do this, stick with the basics of what is written for now and you will be able to change it later.