Drug Testing FAQ

Why Do Employers Drug Test?

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:

• Deter employees from abusing alcohol and drugs
• Prevent hiring individuals who use illegal drugs
• Be able to identify early and appropriately refer employees who have drug and/or alcohol problems
• Provide a safe workplace for employees
• Protect the general public and instill consumer confidence that employees are working safely
• Comply with State laws or Federal regulations
• Benefit from Workers’ Compensation Premium Discount programs

Why Drug Screening?
Because America’s drug problem is much bigger than most people assume. Read More

When are Drug Tests Conducted?
There are a variety of circumstances under which an organization may require a drug test.

• Pre-Employment: Pre-employment testing is conducted to prevent hiring individuals who illegally use drugs. Applicants agree to be tested as a condition of employment and are not hired if they fail to produce a negative test.
• Reasonable Suspicion: Reasonable suspicion testing is similar to, and sometimes referred to, as “probable-cause” or “for-cause” testing and is conducted when supervisors document observable signs and symptoms that lead them to suspect drug use or a drug-free workplace policy violation..
• Post-Accident: Since property damage or personal injury may result from accidents, testing following an accident can help determine whether drugs and/or alcohol were a factor.
• Random: Random testing is performed unannounced on employees whose identifying . (e.g., social security number or employee number) has been placed in a testing pool from which a scientifically arbitrary selection is made. This selection is computer generated to ensure that it is indeed random and that each person of the workforce population has an equal chance of being selected for testing, regardless of whether that person was recently tested or not. Because this type of testing has no advance notice, it serves as a deterrent.
• Return-to-Duty: Return-to-duty testing involves a one-time, announced test when an employee who has tested positive has completed the required treatment for substance abuse and is ready to return to the workplace.
• Promotion: Applicants agree to be tested as a condition of employment and are not promoted if they fail to produce a negative test.

What is a Chain of Custody?
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.

What is an Initial Drug Screen?
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.

What is a Confirmation Test?
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.

What are the Collection Procedures and Protocol?
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

What Types of Specimens Does Any Lab Test Now® Collect?
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.

What Drugs Does Any Lab Test Now® Test For?

• AMP Amphetamine
• BAR Barbiturates
• BZO Benzodiazepines
• COC Cocaine
• MAMP Methamphetamine
• MDMA 3,4
• Methylenedioxy-methamphetamine
• MTD Methadone
• OPI2 Opiates
• PCP Phencyclidine
• THC Cannabinioids / Marijuana

What is Hair Drug testing?

Hair testing is the most accurate and effective method of finding users of drugs of abuse. Using a small sample of hair cut at the scalp, hair analysis evaluates the amount of drug metabolites embedded inside the hair shaft.

How Long are Drugs in One’s System?
Drugs have certain “detection windows”—the amount of time after ingestion during which evidence of their use can be detected by a drug test.

Hair testing for drugs of abuse provides up to a 90-day drug use history. This makes hair testing from Employer Solutions an ideal solution for pre-employment and random testing protocols. Detection period for body hairs can be much longer. Any Lab Test Now® offers Hair Drug Testing using hair from scalp as well as body hair.

Unknown substance hair testing

Any Lab Test Now® can test your hair sample for unknown substance and drugs. An unknown poison and toxin analysis tests for unknown chemicals, poisons and toxins that include but are not limited to pesticides, organic exposure chemicals, painting or cleaning products, rodent poison, volatiles and inhalants. This analysis does not test for drugs or heavy metals. No two situations are alike, so contact Any Lab Test Now® for assistance if you suspect poisoning or toxic exposure.

How is Drug Testing Conducted?

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.

Difference between Urine and Hair Drug Screen

Many employers find it useful to test both hair and urine for pre-employment purposes. Urine is useful for detecting recent or new drug use (last 1-3 days except Marijuana which is longer) and hair for providing an approximate three-month drug history.

Can Hair testing be beaten?

We have not found any adulterants that can beat the test at this time. Moreover, the risk is minimized because every collection is directly and easily observed. Bleaches, shampoos and external contaminants (i.e. marijuana smoke) have no known impact on test results. Our testing method measures the drug molecules embedded inside the hair shaft, eliminating external contamination as a source of a positive test result. Hair testing results cannot be altered with shampoos or other external chemicals.

How are the hair samples collected?

In order to be fair to the donor, we must have enough hair to repeat assays if necessary. Any Lab Test Now® may use head, chest, underarm, leg, or face hair for collection.

Valid and Admissible in Court

Any Lab TestT Now® takes Hair Follicle Test samples under strict Chain of Custody Procedures. The Test is conducted by SAMHSA, CAD and CLIA certified labs and includes third Party Medical Review Officer (MRO) verification. ANY LAB TEST NOW® test results are court defensible.

Is Anonymous Hair Testing Possible?

Yes, as with many other tests Hair Follicle Testing can be taken anonymously.

Can hair collected from a brush be used?

Yes, the test will be reported as having an “anonymous” donor.

For more Questions please contact Us.