Alcohol and drug abuse creates significant safety and health hazards and can result in decreased productivity and poor employee morale. It also can lead to additional costs in the form of health care claims, especially short-term disability claims. Common reasons employers implement drug testing are to:

There are a variety of circumstances under which an organization may require a drug test.

A chain-of-custody form is used to document the handling and storage of a sample from the time it is collected until the time it is disposed. It links an individual to his or her sample and is written proof of all that happens to the specimen while at the collection site and the laboratory.

The first analysis done on a sample is called an initial screen (Instant Test). This one test alone is not always 100% accurate, there is a possibility of a false positive. In the event that the initial screen is positive (Non-Negative), a second confirmatory test should be done.

A second, confirmation test (by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry or GC/MS) is highly accurate and provides specificity to help rule out any false positives (Non-Negatives) from the initial screen. For a test result to be reported as positive, the initial screen and confirmation test results must agree.

By using Express Labs the potential liability shifts from your company to Express Labs. We follow strict Department of Transportation Collection Procedures and Protocol and SAMSHA guidelines including:

• Proper identification of the donor
• Secure collection facility, minimizing potential for adulteration of specimens
• Check for possible adulteration of each specimen
• Completion of Custody and Control forms following Chain of Custody protocol
• Storage and transportation to SAMSHA confirmatory labs of all Non-Negative & DOT specimens
• Secure reporting of results to designated employer representative via secure fax or email

Non-invasive specimens are collected (Urine, Hair & Saliva). Urine is the most commonly used specimen for illicit drugs, reflecting SAMHSA’s guidelines.

Urine: Results of a urine test show the presence or absence of drug metabolites in a person’s urine. Metabolites are drug residues that remain in the body for some time after the effects of a drug have worn off. It is important to note that a positive urine test does not necessarily mean a person was under the influence of drugs at the time of the test.

Hair: Analysis of hair provides a much longer “testing window,” giving a more complete drug-use history going back as far as 90 days. Like urine testing, hair testing does not provide evidence of current impairment, but rather only past use of a specific drug. Hair testing cannot be used to detect for alcohol use. Hair testing is the least invasive form of drug testing, therefore privacy issues are decreased.

Oral Fluids: Saliva, or oral fluids, collected from the mouth also can be used to detect traces of alcohol. Oral fluids are easy to collect (a swab of the inner cheek is the most common collection method), harder to adulterate or substitute, and may be better at detecting current use and impairment.

• Amphetamine
• Marijuana
• Cocaine
• Opiates, Morphine
• Phencyclidine
• Barbiturates
• Benzodiazepines
• Methadone
• Methamphetamine
• Ecstasy

Drugs have certain “detection windows”—the amount of time after ingestion during which evidence of their use can be detected by a drug test.

• Amphetamine - 1-3 Days
• Marijuana - 5-10 Days
• Cocaine - 1-2 Days
• Opiates, Morphine - 1-3 Days
• Phencyclidine - 7-14 Days
• Barbiturates - 1-3 Days
• Benzodiazepines - 3-7 Days
• Methadone - 1-3 Days
• Methamphetamine - 3-5 Days
• Ecstasy - 2-4 Days

Generally, most private employers have a fair amount of latitude in implementing drug testing as they see fit for their organization, unless they are subject to certain Federal regulations, such as the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) drug-testing rules for employees in safety-sensitive positions. However, Federal agencies conducting drug testing must follow standardized procedures established by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

While private employers are not required to follow these guidelines, doing so can help them stay on safe legal ground. Court decisions have supported following these guidelines, and as a result, many employers choose to follow them. These Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing (also called SAMHSA’s guidelines) include having a Medical Review Officer (MRO) evaluate tests.

The most common method of drug testing, urinalysis, an employee or applicant provides a sample to be tested. Usually precautions are taken, such as putting blue dye in the toilet to prevent adulteration or substitution of specimens so that collection can be completed in privacy without any direct visual observation by another person.

Under SAMHSA’s guidelines, once a sample is provided, it is sent to a certified laboratory. The accuracy of drug tests done by certified laboratories is very high, but this certification applies only to the five substances tested for in Federal drug-testing programs and alcohol.