Drug Testing of Employees is Ethical Essays

Drug Testing of Employees is Ethical Essays Drug Testing of Employees is Ethical Paper Drug Testing of Employees is Ethical Paper â€Å"The term drug testing refers to the analysis of biological material to detect drugs or their metabolites in the body. Urine tests are most common in the UK, but saliva, sweat and hair can be tested. For alcohol, breath tests are most common. Drug testing at work takes a variety of forms, including pre-employment testing, random testing of employees and post-accident testing. † (Drug testing in the workplace: Summary conclusions of the Independent Inquiry into Drug Testing at Work) Drugs are a source to damage one’s life, through the misuse of drugs one can be indulged in many heinous activities. Heroine, hashish, etc. and nearly all the items used in cigarettes, cigars are drugs. Drugs are a source to indulge a strong and healthy man into a world of depression and tiredness. A man or a person who is a drug addict feels very depressed and he is often a patient of hypertension. Drug addicts also feel inferior or superior and that is the reason why half percent of the drug addicts are patients of superiority or inferiority complexion. According to the opinions of many analysts, companies even high schools should organize drug testing campaigns so that beside asking good care of drug addicts they could also save people who could get harm from the rising number of drug patients in the esteemed organization. The leftist or the people who are against this activity suggest that an employee or a student who is a drug addict feels ashamed when he is tested in front of many people. First Argument My first argument in this regard is that the employer and the respected institution have the right to test their employees to save the prestige of their organization. People who are drug addicts often do use drugs in their workplace, which is also harmful for other employees joined with the organization. â€Å"Most U. S. states sanction some sort of drug testing in the workplace, but many dont regulate it much. In these states, employers may legally ask you to drop your drawers and urinate in a vial, for any reason or no reason at all. They dont need a warrant or even probable cause, as they do to legally justify violating your other rights. † (Drug Testing in the Workplace) One person who is neglected after being may time doubtful has many severe and negative impacts on other normal people and soon a sudden change in their behavior is noticed. Companies usually do this to save their other employees from the destruction of drugs so that workplace sanity should also be maintained. â€Å"Employee drug testing programs help protect the health and safety of all employees, and mitigate the costs associated with having drug abusers on the payroll. They provide early identification, and the ability to refer employees with substance abuse problems for treatment. The integration of drug screening procedures with appropriate drug education and treatment programs is proving not only to be an effective way of managing substance abuse, but also a valuable tool in achieving positive employee relations, delivering significant cost savings, and providing corporations with a competitive advantages. † (Employee Drug Testing. Drug Testing Company. Workplace Drug testing. Avitar Inc. ) Second Argument My second argument in this regard is an employee’s health. â€Å"There was a time in the United States when your business was also your bosss business. At the turn of the century, company snooping was pervasive and privacy almost nonexistent. Your boss had the right to know whom you lived with, what you drank, whether you went to church, or to what political groups you belonged. † (Drug testing in the Workplace lectlaw. com/files/emp02. htm) As it is well said that health is wealth, it is. Besides maintaining a better and a peaceful workplace environment it is also a tough job to take care of the health of employees. When employees get towards drugs they start to go towards a world where there is nothing except depression and frustration. Their behavior with all the people in their surroundings start to differ in many ways and in this type they gradually lose all their contacts. It is too late when they come out from this disastrous activity known as drug taking. Employees also face great loss not only from their job but also from their homes. They do not get the required comfort which a person requires in his or hers home because every day drug taking and everyday dose also depresses the people in the surroundings but the most worse impact of this activity is on the family members with which the person is living because the people have to face many other people. Besides that they have to tackle many more problems, which appear from this one worse habit of drug taking. Many people have been fired or suspended from their employments just because this disastrous habit of drug taking. After prolonged period of unemployment the person who is facing distress and disturbance from everywhere tries to commit suicide and even succeeds in its mission but those people never think of what their families have to face. Third Aargument My third argument is that through this approach of employees, the esteemed organizations in which they are working have a great negative impact on their image. Besides that they have to face a lot of financial losses just because the drugs dealing and drugs addiction in the office premises. People who are against this activity of testing employees for drugs ask the question that why companies do drug tests of their employees as it is unethical and one may feel very afraid and frightened during this testing process. The answer to this question is very simple that when employers of a company are unaware of what their employees are doing, these companies may loss their reputations as well as have to bear great damages and losses. For example, if one day a company gets a police raid and there some of the employees are caught during drug addiction then the whole blame would be put onto the organization that they should have kept a check and balance on their employees. After receiving numerous complaints for drugs use, many governments of the western countries have implemented a law that the firms should be prior responsible for taking the drug test of all of the employees which are working under their kind consideration. This will reduce the drug cases and all of the terminology that is creating misuse of drugs in the working or professional environment. Through, the drug testing, employees and employer both can lead happy professional and personal lives, as everyone in this world requires a life free of depression and tiredness. Objections of First Argument A drug addict can hurt many people in many ways. Drug addicts according to a research not only hurt people physically but they have great impacts on other people’s minds when they hurt them mentally or emotionally. When a drug addict is unconscious at its workplace he can answer the simplest question very badly and sometimes they even reveal the secrets or domestic problems of their close colleagues, which results in misunderstandings. â€Å"In order to receive the benefits of the law, employers must implement a comprehensive policy and must adhere to specific collection, testing, and confidentiality procedures. † (State Law) However if a person who secures a high post in the company is a drug addict then it would be of a great loss to the company for the person when not in his or hers real senses will behave madly with people and all the clients who come to visit the companies and see the efforts made by the employees in maintaining all sorts of disciplinary environment. In this regard many analysts and researchers term workplace drug test a good and positive thinking and this should be implemented in all countries, which do not have this law in their respected organizations. Analysts further suggest that employees should be medically, mentally and physically checked once in a month so that if their medical reports have any sorts of discrepancy in them they could be terminated immediately and the firm should be saved from any kind of blurred image. Firms have the right to suspend any of their employees but when they have any prove against the respected employee. According to a web research in many countries especially the European and the American countries. The European and American countries have laws implemented on them by the state governments that every employee should be checked before he or she should be employed in the organization. Objections of Second Argument Drugs not only destroy the mental capabilities but they have a so strong grip that if their grip tightens and tightens, nobody would be able to come back from the blunder of drugs addiction, and if he or she will not commit suicide to run away from the responsibilities, drugs will take away their prestigious life and then they would be saying good bye to the drugs at their last breaths. â€Å"Employee drug testing programs help protect the health and safety of all employees, and mitigate the costs associated with having drug abusers on the payroll. They provide early identification, and the ability to refer employees with substance abuse problems for treatment. The integration of drug screening procedures with appropriate drug education and treatment programs is proving not only to be an effective way of managing substance abuse, but also a valuable tool in achieving positive employee relations, delivering significant cost savings, and providing corporations with a competitive advantage. † (Employee drug testing Avitar Inc. ) According to the second argument it has been proven through strong proves that employees who are drug addicts face great loss from everywhere if they are physically and mentally ill just because they enter the blunder known as drug addiction. Employees who use drugs definitely suffer in the workplaces as well as in all phases of their lives. Their minds would be in their control and can’t take quick and effective decisions. This eventually led to the losses of the companies as their mental capabilities have been reduced immensely due to the drugs use. Thus, it can be fair to say that drugs use is a loss for both the employee and the employer. Objections of Third Argument Through this act of the employees’ companies go into a great loss and lose not only their prestigious image but also they have to pay fines to the court, and often their licenses are also cancelled. â€Å"Employee drug testing is unfortunately one of the most controversial and troublesome issues facing American employers. Rising employee turnover, absenteeism, tardiness, on-the-job accidents, health benefit utilization and costs, workers compensation claims, inventory shrinkage and employee theft, lowered productivity, and workplace violence are problems directly attributable to substance abuse. Employer concern and action are equally warranted these problems cost to the U. S. workplace well over $110 billion each and every year. † (Employee drug testing Avitar Inc. ) Drugs use in the workplace or drugs trafficking in a workplace is not an ethical as well legal activity. It is vital to control these activities in the workplaces but this drug testing could backlash the companies in the form suspension or cancellation of their licenses – they might suffer with heavy fines. This could be a very difficult decision for companies to go for drug testing because of the aforementioned reason. This problem can be handled by the company’s internal strong policies or counseling with that employee. Don’t take any legal action or severe action against the employee as it might lead to the court that could lead to cancellation of licenses and heavy fines as well as loss of the entire company’s reputation. Thus, always avoid law suits and legal actions against your employees, especially in drugs cases as it could put the company in a big trouble. Conclusion According to latest research and thesis based upon facts one thing has been cleared that through one disastrous habit of an employee the firm or the reputable company goes into great damage. Companies have to face a loss of their clients, havoc and violence at their workplace, through this activity many other people in the surroundings of the company environment get ill or mentally sick because of some other people who adopt the immature habit of drug addiction. â€Å"Seven anti-drug-testing laws were enacted in the late 1980s. Since that time, no anti-drug-testing laws have been enacted at the state level (Puerto Rico did adopt one), and two of the original seven anti-drug-testing laws have been repealed and replaced with a pro-drug-testing law ( Iowa) or modified significantly and acceptably ( Montana). † (Jackson Lewis States Enact Mostly Pro-testing Workplace Drug Laws) Drug addiction is something, which destroys a person from everywhere. For the employer and the employee it creates great problems as the employee gets rid of its job or employment and later on he ends his life by himself or herself or drugs end his or hers life but the employer has to face many things besides that such as loss of huge sum of amount and court proceedings as well as a spot on the company’s name. Besides that entire drug testing of employees, it is termed legal from the side of the government and it is ethical too because it is better to end those disastrous and harmful activities than to end one’s life and creating problems for other people. Drug Testing in the Workplace http://jobsearchtech. about. com/od/laborlaws/l/aa090301. htm Accessed, June 9, 2007 Drug testing in the workplace:Summary conclusions of the Independent Inquiry into Drug Testing at Work jrf. org. uk/knowledge/findings/foundations/694. asp Accessed, June 9, 2007 Drug testing and employee monitoring: Directgov Employment direct. gov. uk/en/Employment/Employees/HealthAndSafetyAtWork/DG_10026594 Accessed, June 9, 2007 Drug Testing in the Workplace lectlaw. com/files/emp02. htm Accessed, June 9, 2007 Employee drug testing Avitar Inc. avitarinc. com/Drug_Testing/employee-drug-testing. cfm Accessed, June 9, 2007 Accessed, June 9, 2007 Employee Drug Testing. Drug Testing Company. Workplace Drug testing. Avitar Inc. avitarinc. com/ Accessed, June 9, 2007 Jackson Lewis States Enact Mostly Pro-testing Workplace Drug Laws jacksonlewis. com/legalupdates/article. cfm? aid=929 Accessed, June 9, 2007 State Law dol. gov/asp/programs/drugs/said/StateLaw. asp? id=786 Accessed, June 9, 2007

Sea Otter Facts

Sea Otter Facts Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) are an easily recognized and beloved marine mammal. They have furry bodies, whiskered faces, and a propensity to lay on their backs and float on the water, a behavior that humans perceive as evidence of fun-loving.  They are native to the northern coastlines of the Pacific Ocean, from northern Japan to Baja, Mexico. Most critically, they are a keystone species, meaning that their continued existence is required for several other species to survive. Fast Facts: Sea Otters Scientific Name: Enhydra lutrisCommon Name: Sea ottersBasic Animal Group: MammalSize: 3.3–4.9 feetWeight: 31–99 poundsLifespan: 10–20 years  Diet:  CarnivoreHabitat: Coastlines of the North Pacific Rim, from northern Japan to the central Baja peninsulaConservation Status: Endangered Description Sea otters are carnivores in the family Mustelidae- a group of animals that also includes terrestrial and semi-aquatic forms such as weasels, badgers, skunks, fishers, minks, and river otters. Sea otters are the only fully aquatic form of otters, but they share features with the others such as thick fur and short ears. This thick fur keeps the animals warm ​but unfortunately has led to over-hunting by humans of many of these mustelid species.   Sea otters are the smallest fully marine mammal in the world: Males range in length between 3.9–4.9 feet, while females range between 3.3–4.6 feet. The average body mass for males is about 88 pounds, with a range of 49–99 pounds; females range from 31–73 pounds.   Temperature balance is a significant challenge for sea otters, who lack the blubber of other marine mammals such as seals and walruses. Otters have a dense fur made up of a combination of undercoat and longer guard hairs that provides insulation, but it must be almost continuously maintained. Fully 10 percent of a sea otters day is spent grooming its fur. However, fur is an inflexible insulation, so, when necessary, sea otters cool off by flapping their nearly-hairless rear flippers. Habitat and Distribution Unlike some marine mammals like whales that would die if they were on land for too long, sea otters can go up onto land to rest, groom, or nurse. However, they do spend most if not all of their lives in the water- Sea otters even give birth in the water. Although there is just one species of sea otter, there are three subspecies: The Russian northern sea otter (Enhyrda lutris lutris), which lives in the Kuril Islands, Kamchatka Peninsula, and Commander Islands off Russia,The northern sea otter (Enhyrda lutris kenyoni), which lives from the Aleutian Islands off Alaska, down to Washington state, andThe southern sea otter (Enhyrda lutris nereis), which lives in southern California. Diet Sea otters eat fish and marine invertebrates like crabs, urchins, sea stars, and abalone, as well as squid and octopuses. Some of these animals have hard shells, which protect them from predators. But that isnt an issue for the talented sea otter, which cracks open the shells by banging them with rocks. To hunt prey, sea otters have been known to dive as deep as 320 feet; however, males mostly forage at depths of around 260 feet and females about 180 feet. Sea otters have a baggy patch of skin under their forelimbs which is used for storage. They can keep extra food in this spot, and also store a favorite rock for cracking the shell of their prey. Jeff Foott / Getty Images Behavior Sea otters are social, and hang out together in groups called rafts. Sea otter rafts are segregated: Groups of between two and 1,000 otters are either all males or females and their young.  Only adult males establish territories, which they patrol during mating season to keep out other adult males. Females rove freely between and among male territories. Mint Images - Frans Lanting / Getty Images Reproduction and Offspring Sea otters reproduce sexually and that only occurs when the females are in estrus. Mating is polygynous- one male breeds with all the females in its breeding territory. The gestation period lasts for six months, and females nearly always give birth to a single live pup, although twinning does occur. Young sea otters have a form of extremely woolly fur that makes an otter pup so buoyant that it cant dive underwater and can float off if not tended carefully. Before a mother otter leaves to forage for her pup, she wraps the pup in a piece of kelp to keep it anchored in one spot. It takes 8–10 weeks for the pup to shed its initial fur and learn to dive and the pup stays with the mother for up to six months after birth. The females enter estrus again within several days to weeks after weaning.   Female sea otters become sexually mature at about 3 or 4 years of age; males do so at 5 or 6 although most males dont establish a territory until they are 7 or 8.  Female otters live 15–20 years and can have pups every year from the first estrus; males live for 10–15 years. Keystone Species Sea otters are a keystone species and play a critical role in the food web of the kelp forest,  so much so that even terrestrial species are influenced by sea otter activity. When sea otter populations are healthy, urchin populations are kept in check, and kelp is abundant. Kelp provides shelter for sea otters and their pups and a variety of other marine organisms. If there is a decline in sea otters due to natural predation or other factors such as an oil spill, urchin populations explode. As a result, kelp abundance decreases  and other marine species have less habitat. Kelp forests absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and a healthy forest can absorb as much as 12 times the amount of CO2 from the atmosphere than if it were subject to sea urchin predation.   When sea otter populations are abundant, bald eagles prey primarily on fish and sea otter pups, but when sea otter populations declined in early the 2000s due to predation by an increased population of orcas, bald eagles preyed more on marine birds and had more offspring because of the higher caloric content of a seabird diet. Threats Because they are dependent on their fur for warmth, sea otters are heavily affected by oil spills. When oil coats a sea otters fur, air cant get through and the sea otter cant clean it out. The infamous  Exxon Valdez  spill killed at least several hundred sea otters and affected the sea otter population in Prince William Sound for well over a decade, according to the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council.   While sea otter populations increased after legal protections were put in place, there have been recent declines in sea otters in the Aleutian Islands (thought to be from orca predation) and a decline or plateau in the populations in California. Other than natural predators, threats to sea otters include pollution, diseases, parasites, entanglement in marine debris, and boat strikes. Conservation Status Sea otters first became protected from the fur trade by the International Fur Seal Treaty in 1911, after the population had decreased to about 2,000 as a result of unrestrained hunting for furs. Since then, sea otter populations have rebounded, but the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the species as a whole as Endangered. The ECOS Environmental Conservation Online System lists both northern and southern sea otters as threatened. Sea otters in the U.S. today are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Sea Otter Skins. Gulf of Maine Cod Project, NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries / National Archives Sources Anthony, Robert G., et al. Bald Eagles and Sea Otters in the Aleutian Archipelago: Indirect Effects of Trophic Cascades. Ecology 89.10 (2008): 2725–35. PrintDoroff, A. and A. Burdin. Enhydra lutris. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: e.T7750A21939518, 2015.  Northern Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris kenyoni). ECOS Environmental Conservation Online System, 2005.Southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis). ECOS Environmental Conservation Online System, 2016.Tinker, M. T., et al. Otters: Enhydra Lutris and Lontra Felina. Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals (Third Edition). Eds. Wà ¼rsig, Bernd, J. G. M. Thewissen and Kit M. Kovacs: Academic Press, 2018. 664–71. Print.Wilmers, Christopher C, et al. Do Trophic Cascades Affect the Storage and Flux of Atmospheric Carbon? An Analysis of Sea Otters and Kelp Forests. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 10.8 (2012): 409–15. Print.