Does Home Depot Drug Test?

Before you begin your application, you might be asking; Does Home Depot drug test?

If you’re looking for fast-paced work in a friendly environment, then a job at your local Home Depot store could fit the bill.

With over 2000 stores and 90 distribution centers across the country, the DIY and home improvement retailer offers a wide range of positions for job seekers looking for full-time or part-time positions.

While the application process at Home Depot is quick and easy, they do carry out some pre-employment checks.

Knowing if you can expect a drug test when it will take place, and what type of drug test it’s going to be will help you plan the best time to get started on your Home Depot application, so let’s jump in.

Does Home Depot Drug Test Applicants in 2024?

Home Depot operates a strict drug-free workplace policy and as part of that policy, they will carry out a drug test when you apply for a job.

When you complete your application, you’ll see a notice on the form about needing to consent to a drug test.

Drug tests were suspended while Covid policies were in place, but testing was resumed early in 2022.

Once you’re hired, you’ll be asked to agree to their drug and alcohol policy and to sign a consent form that allows for future testing.

Related Article: Does Home Depot Hire Convicted Felons?

When Do Home Depot Drug Test – Interview Or Orientation?

The exact timing of the drug test seems to vary from store to store. Some stores carry out a drug test after a successful interview, while others wait until your orientation.

The best course of action is to make sure you’re able to pass any drug test on the day of your interview, and then stay clean if the drug test is delayed until your orientation.

You won’t know when your orientation will be scheduled and you could have very little advance notice. If they called you one week after your interview and told you to come in the following day for orientation, you wouldn’t have time to let drugs clear your system if you were still using.

If you failed a drug test at orientation, even though you were already hired, Home Depot would still fire you.

For Home Depot warehouse and distribution center jobs, the drug test is carried out after a successful interview.

Does Home Depot Do Random Drug Tests?

Home Depot reserves the right to carry out random drug tests, but in practice, random drug tests rarely happen.

Don’t assume that you’re off the hook, though.

If you appear to be under the influence when you arrive at work or at any point during your shift, you’ll have to take a reasonable cause drug test.

Signs that you’re under the influence include:

• Appearing tired (yes, really)
• Lethargy
• Clumsiness
• Being argumentative or aggressive
• Paranoid behavior
• Falling asleep
• Lack of attention to personal hygiene
• Slurred speech
• Failing to understand simple instructions
• Smelling of weed
• Bloodshot eyes

When To Expect Further Drug Tests As A Home Depot Employee

If you’re involved in an accident at Home Depot, you will be given a drug test. This is true for even a minor accident, like bumping a fellow associate with a handcart if they claim that they’re injured.

And, if an accident results in damage to company property, equipment, or merchandise, you’ll need to take a drug test.

Another time you’ll need to take a drug test is if you apply to be an equipment operator. Home Depot associates use various types of equipment, from forklifts and reach trucks to industrial saws.

To use any equipment, employees need to be trained and certified, and part of that process is passing a drug test.

Store management will often push employees to take a certification because the more qualified people they have on a shift, the more smoothly the whole store runs.

If you go for the equipment certification and fail the drug test, you won’t just fail the certification, you will lose your job.

What Type Of Drug Test Does Home Depot Use

For pre-employment drug tests, reasonable cause drug tests, and equipment certification drug tests you’ll take a saliva drug test.

You’ll be told to avoid eating or drinking anything for 10 minutes prior to the test. This is so you can’t attempt to cheat the test with mouth rinses or chewing gum.

Then you’ll be given a sponge swab to place in your mouth against your inner cheek.

You need to keep the swab in place while it absorbs saliva. Once the swab has enough saliva, the indicator on the swab will turn blue and the sample collection is finished.

The person carrying out the test then seals the swab in a fluid-filled container, completes the paperwork which you sign, and sends the sample off to the lab.

For post-accident and post-incident drug testing, you’ll need to take a urine test. This type of test takes place at a local clinic or dedicated collection facility.

For your urine sample collection, you’ll be given a specimen cup and sent to a bathroom. You need to provide enough urine to fill the cup to the level indicated on the side.

The bathroom will have blue dye in the toilet water and the water in the washbasin will be turned off. This is so you can’t use any water from the bathroom in an attempt to dilute the sample.

Once you’ve finished producing the sample, it will be checked for temperature, which ensures that you haven’t tampered with the sample using substances concealed on your person.

Then the sample is packaged up and sent to the lab.

What Drugs Does Home Depot Test For?

Your saliva sample or urine sample will be tested for the most common illegal drugs.

These are:

• Opiates
• Cocaine
• Marijuana
• Amphetamines and methamphetamine
• Phencyclidine (PCP)
• Methadone
• Benzodiazepines
• Barbiturates
• Propoxyphene
• Methaqualone

On a saliva test, the detection time for these substances is usually up to 48 hours after your last use. However, marijuana can remain detectable in your sample for much longer if you’re a heavy user. And benzodiazepines, barbiturates, and methadone may still be present for up to 72 hours.

If you use marijuana, the best way to know that you’ll pass a drug test is by taking an at-home drug test before you apply.

At-home or DIY drug test kits are affordable and readily available at pharmacies, Walmart, and Target. And you can order tests online from Amazon and other retailers.

These tests are simple to use and give accurate results. Once your DIY test gives you a negative result, you can apply to Home Depot without running the risk of failing the drug test.

With a urine drug test, the detection window is longer, and any recent drug use is going to show up as follows:

• Opiates – up to 4 days
• Cocaine – up to 4 days
• Marijuana – up to 30 days with light, infrequent use, up to 70 days with heavy use
• Amphetamines and methamphetamine – up to 4 days
• Phencyclidine (PCP) – up to 14 days
• Methadone – up to 72 hours
• Benzodiazepines – up to 7 days
• Barbiturates – up to 7 days
• Propoxyphene – up to 72 hours
• Methaqualone – up to 4 days

What Happens If You Fail The Drug Test?

If you fail the test, a Medical Review Officer will contact you to find out if you take any

legally prescribed drugs that could have produced a positive result.

If you take pain medication or anti-anxiety medication, for example, you would need to provide a copy of your prescription so that the test result could be changed from positive to negative.

Otherwise, failing the test will mean you won’t be hired, and if you already work at Home Depot, you will lose your job.

Does Home Depot Care About Marijuana In Legal States?

Yes, they do. Being in a legal state makes no difference to drug policies at work. Having a medical marijuana card is also no protection if you get a positive result on your drug test.

Marijuana can be recommended by a doctor in some states, but it cannot be legally prescribed.

Home Depot follows federal law when it comes to illegal drugs, and marijuana, while legal in many states, is still an illegal Schedule 1 drug under the Controlled Substances Act.

If you test positive for marijuana at any time, you will lose your job.

Frequent Asked Questions (FAQs)

What Drug Test Does Home Depot Use?

For pre-employment, reasonable cause, and equipment certification drug testing, Home Depot uses a mouth swab drug test. The drug test is carried out on-site and then sent to a lab for analysis.

When you apply for a job at Home Depot, your drug test may take place immediately after a successful interview, or it could be carried out at your orientation.

Does Home Depot Drug Test If You Get Hurt?

Yes, they do. If you have an accident or injure yourself or another person, you will have to take a drug test. You’ll also need to take a drug test if you damage company property, equipment, or merchandise.

Post-accident and post-incident drug tests are urine drug tests and you’ll be sent to a local clinic right away to provide a sample.

How Far Back Will A Mouth Swab Drug Test Go?

Mouth swab drug tests have a fairly short detection window for most drugs. Opiates, cocaine, amphetamine, and methamphetamine can still be present in your saliva for up to 48 hours after you last used the drug. Marijuana can remain detectable for much longer depending on your level of use.

Final Thoughts

You will need to take a mouth swab drug test when you apply for a job with Home Depot. In some stores, you’ll take the drug test as soon as your interview is over, while in others, the test will take place at your orientation.

If you’ve applied for a Home Depot warehouse job, the drug test takes place after your interview.

Home Depot may also carry out random drug tests, but employees report that random tests are rarely done.

If your managers have any reason to suspect that you’re under the influence of drugs at work, they will test you on the spot, and if you’re involved in a workplace accident, you’ll have to provide a urine sample for testing.

Finally, if you apply for a machine or equipment certification, you’ll need to pass a drug test as part of the process. And if you fail the test, you will lose your job.

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