These days, many jobs and careers require individuals to pass a drug test in order to get or keep them. This is true even for plumbers. Yes, if you want to get into plumbing, you are required to pass a drug test, a majority of the time.
We won’t say “100% of the time” because you can’t account for the niche laws of every state, lazy bosses, or businesses that are trying to cut corners. But all things being equal, you are officially supposed to be drug tested before becoming a plumber (and potentially throughout the career as well.)
Of course, there are small plumbing companies that may take a hands off approach and not conduct any type of drug screening.
Why Do Plumbers Need to be Drug Tested?
While some people erroneously look down on plumbing as a profession, it is an immensely valuable skill that requires knowledge, experience, and a deft hand. Moreover, if you make a mistake while doing your job, you could cost the business you work for hundreds or thousands of dollars.
That being the case, the businesses and masters who hire plumbers want to know that there’s nothing potentially impairing their judgment or abilities. That’s why they would drug test a plumber.
Do You Need to Pass a Drug Test to Get a Plumber’s License?
The exact requirements for getting a license vary by state, but many of them require you to pass a drug test.
How Can You Pass a Drug Test?
Well, this should probably go without saying, but the best way to pass a drug test is to not have any drugs in your system when you are tested. Assuming that’s not feasible, there are a few things to keep in mind.
- Most drug tests are urine tests and can be private or monitored by a lab employee. In rare cases, there can be blood, hair, or saliva tests.
- You should provide a list of all the medications you take for medical purposes, to avoid false positives from the testing.
- The most common drugs that are tested for are cocaine, marijuana, opiates, PCP, and amphetamines.
- Many drugs can remain in your body for days or even weeks,
The only real way to pass a drug test is to not have traces of drugs in your system. If you are looking at getting a plumber’s license, stop taking any drugs that would cause you to fail long in advance of when you expect the drug test to be.
Do not attempt to cheat the drug test. There have been many methods used over the years, including substitution, dilution, and trying to cleanse the body a mere day beforehand. All of these methods are easily detectable by the labs conducting the drug test, and in some cases, using them can be a crime.
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