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How reliable is drug testing?
When both screening and confirmatory tests are conducted, the combined tests themselves become virtually 100% dependable. Most testing is automatically set up to do both the screening and confirmatory types of tests.
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What is GC/MS confirmation?
Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) is an extremely accurate procedure that identifies each chemical compound on the basis of its unique molecular structure and can determine a quantitative level of any positive drugs in the specimen provided for testing.
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What are the different types of methods used to drug test?
Urine, saliva, and hair are three of the most commonly used methods to detect drug use. Each method has advantages and disadvantages.
Urine is generally considered the standard because this has been used as the method of drug testing for several years. Saliva is developing quite rapidly as an alternative to testing due to its less intrusive nature. Hair testing offers the option of viewing a longer detection time for drugs.
Please see Detection Times for a list of what substances can be tested in the different methods and the average amount of time after use that the substance can be detected.
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Do employers have the right to require that employees be tested for drugs and alcohol?
Yes for both drugs and alcohol, but it has to be done fairly.
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What are the applicable laws?
Federally regulated employees must adhere to guidelines established by the Department of Transportation (D.O.T.).
Company policy largely determines the guidelines for non-D.O.T. testing. Laws in some states restrict the use of instant testing devices.
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Who establishes the cut off levels?
If you are under the jurisdiction of D.O.T., the you must follow the D.O.T. regulations and cut off levels. If not, then it is up to the employer.
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Is testing for additional drugs authorized? Must a separate specimen be obtained?
If a company does not have employees that fall under D.O.T. jurisdiction, it is up to the company what drugs are to be tested. If a company has employees that fall under D.O.T. jurisdiction and want to establish a program that tests beyond the five drugs currently required must make a clear distinction to their employees what testing is required by D.O.T. authority and what testing is required by the company. Additionally, employers must insure that a separate specimen collection process including a separate act of urination is used to obtain specimens for company testing programs (D.O.T. 49 CFR Part 40).
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Is the collection of blood authorized? Can blood test results be used to take D.O.T.-required administrative actions?
D.O.T. does not authorize the collection of blood for drug testing, except Post-Accidents for those who fall under the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). Therefore, while a company under its own authority may require a blood specimen to be collected and tested for drugs and/or alcohol under certain circumstances, it is not acceptable for the company-required blood specimen to be supported by the same custody and control form that accompanies a D.O.T.-required urine specimen (D.O.T. 49 CFR Part 40).
If a urine specimen for a D.O.T. reasonable cause test is rejected for testing at the laboratory, results from a blood test collected in accordance with a company policy could be used to take action against an employee depending upon the drug testing policy established by that company. Under no circumstances, however, can the result of the blood test be used to take administrative or disciplinary action against an employee using D.O.T. authority for the reasons cited above.
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What are the turn-around times for the test results to come back?
Typically, results come back in 24 to 48 hours from the time the lab receives the specimen. Tests that are deemed positive from the laboratory, whether caused by prescription or not, tend to take a longer amount of time to come back, up to 72 to 96 hours from the time the lab receives the specimen, due to the need for further testing at the laboratory and time for the MRO to contact the donor and discuss the results. Around nationally recognized holidays and during some weather emergencies (depending on where the laboratory is located), results may take a longer than normal time, but this delay usually does not exceed 24 to 48 hours past the normal reporting time.
Is drug testing an invasion of privacy?
If the program is properly administered and within Federal and State law and guidelines, the courts have determined that drug testing is not an invasion of privacy. The primary factor (among others) with respect to court decisions is the welfare and safety of others.
A MRO, Medical Review Officer, is a doctor who reviews drug test results to determine possible prescription interactions, conducts an interview with the donor (typically via the telephone) to discuss positive results, and discusses any questions regarding the testing process with a laboratory toxicologist.
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What qualifications is the MRO required to have?
The MRO shall be a licensed physician with knowledge of substance abuse disorders. GlobalLab's MROs are certified through the American Association of Medical Review Officers, complete courses and seminars related to drug testing to remain current with all information in the testing process, and meet all requirements for D.O.T. compliance.
- What does testing "positive" mean? What does testing "negative" mean?
Testing laboratories use "cutoff limits" to determine if a specimen is positive or negative. D.O.T. and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) have established cutoff limit guidelines for both alcohol and drug testing. A negative result indicates the level of a drug or alcohol being tested for is either not present or is below the cutoff limit. A positive result indicates the substance is present at a level above the cutoff limit. It is important to note that all test results go through a MRO. The MRO reviews the test results, and in the case of a "positive" test, notifies the donor and discusses possible prescription interactions. If there is a valid prescription causing the "positive," the MRO will change the result to a verified negative and the company will receive a "negative" drug test result.
- Can a donor test positive for secondhand smoke?
No. Research experiments have been conducted that expose nonsmoking individuals to heavy concentrations of marijuana smoke in confined quarters. The nonsmoking individuals could not absorb enough smoke, even after several hours of exposure, to cause a positive result in subsequent urinalysis.
No. Even for hair testing, secondhand smoke will not cause a positive for two reasons. The first reason is because the lab sends the hair sample through a cleaning process that eliminates environmental contamination. The second reason is because even if someone does have the "parent" drug in their hair follicles, the laboratory will not deem the result positive if there is no metabolite of the drug present (meaning there has to be evidence that the drug was ingested).
- What is a "false" positive, and how can they occur?
This is probably the most confusing issue regarding drug testing. Simply put, the tests are very accurate. If during screening, they detect a drug, it is sent for confirmation through GC/MS. If the drug detected is caused by a prescription the donor is taking from doctor's orders, it is a negated positive and reported as a verified negative. Some over-the-counter medications will screen positive, but the confirmation tests will rule out any illicit substances. What is generally called a "false" positive is simply a result which has not yet been confirmed.
- What level of drug in the urine indicated that an individual is impaired?
Physical impairment according to a given level is not the issue. The issue is whether or not illegal drugs are being used at all, and whether or not drug and alcohol abuse is taking place. Also, due to varying individual metabolic rates, the amount of drug ingested, and the concentration or strength of the drug ingested, there is no scientific correlation to allow one to determine by the level if an individual is impaired.
What are the costs of not having a program?
While many employers feel that drug and alcohol testing programs are a waste of money, typically the money spent on a testing program is significantly less than what they would spend or lose from employees who abuse drugs or alcohol. There are a variety of testing options available and a sales associate would be more than happy to discuss pricing options, please contact us for more information. Below are some statistics of the costs associated with not having a testing program.
- Increased employee absenteeism-66 percent higher absenteeism among drug users. Abusers are 2.5 times more likely to use 8 or more days of employee sick time. Abusers are 3 times more likely to be late for work. Abusers are 2.2 times more likely to require early dismissal.
- Costs in accidents and damages-5 times more likely to file a workers' compensation claim. Abusers are 3.6 times more likely to be involved in accidents.
- Losses due to employee theft/fraud-Disciplinary actions are 90 percent higher among drug users.
- Increased costs for health care-Health benefit utilization is 84 percent greater in dollar terms. Abusers are 3 times more likely to abuse the normal level of sick benefits.
- It is estimated that employee drug use costs employers over $100 billion each year.
- 71 percent of illegal drug users are employed-most working for small businesses, as estimated by the Federal government.
What are the benefits of having a drug and alcohol testing program?
- To protect the public, employees, and corporate safety
- Fewer accidents
- Reduced costs of insurance claims
- Reduced Workman's Compensation claims
- Reduced usage of medical benefits
- Fewer disciplinary actions
- Reduced losses due to absenteeism, theft, and fraud
- Lower costs due to losses and errors
- Decreased legal costs and costs of hiring and training new employees
- Earlier identification and resolution of problems affecting job performance
- To comply with government regulations
- What types of consultation can GlobalLab provide?
GlobalLab can help your company with policy development, implementation, and management of sound substance abuse policies, procedures, and documentation that complies with Federal and State regulations and laws.
GlobalLab can also assist your company with training programs for collectors, instructors, and supervisors on topics including urine collections, instant testing product procedures, and drug and alcohol related workplace problems.
Please see Training for more information on available programs.
- What alcohol testing services can GlobalLab provide?
GlobalLab is equipped to administer either saliva or breath alcohol testing. Both are D.O.T. approved and a confirmation test is automatically done on positive screening tests.
- Can I have someone come out to my company to do the testing?
GlobalLab is more than happy to help save your company time and money by coming to your site to administer the collections. Please contact us to discuss this in more detail and to schedule a time for us to come out.
What drug testing services can GlobalLab provide?
GlobalLab has a variety of options available for your drug testing needs and we are more than happy to customize our service for your individual needs. Please see our Services listing for more information on specific testing types.
- What drugs can be tested for?
Just about any drug can be tested for using the different methods of drug testing. Our Detection Times table gives a list of specific drugs and what method of testing is a viable way to test for the presence of the drug.
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