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RELIABLE DRUG AND ALCOHOL TESTING

DATCS IS THE TOP ALCOHOL AND DRUG SCREENING COMPANY IN THE U.S.

DATCS is one of the leading national alcohol and drug screening companies in the United States. We have built a reputation as educators in our industry, and we genuinely believe that drug testing saves lives and money while protecting your workplace, community, and school.

With over 30 years of experience providing drug testing services, we use the most reliable screening methods in the industry, including urine, hair, breath, oral fluids and nails.

Alcohol abuse is a significant health and economic concern in the United States today, costing America over $233 billion annually. More than 50% of child custody cases involve alcohol and drug abuse as a factor for judges to consider.

Drug Testing

Reasons for drug testing:

  • 75% of drug users are employed
  • 40% of all users will steal from your organization
  • 38% of work-related accidents involve drug & alcohol users
  • 60% of drug users will sell to other employees
  • 3 times more sick days from employed drug users
  • 8 times as many hospital days from employed drug users
  • 16 times as many absences from employed drug users
  • 20% of people killed at work test positive for drugs
  • A generation ago, only 10% of children age 12 were exposed to drugs. Today, it is approaching 50%. The younger a person is exposed, the higher the chance of becoming addicted.
  • Drug testing is tax-deductible
  • Peace of mind is knowing you have a drug-free workplace, community, and school.

Whether you need a reliable company program to provide pre-employment drug screenings, or you want to ensure your business is compliant with government requirements, we are here to help.

Q&A

(Q) What is the preferred specimen type for workplace drug-testing programs and employment drug screenings?

(A) There is no clear-cut answer. Employers should evaluate the various testing methods to determine which specimen type best meets the needs of their organization.

The choice depends on a variety of factors:

  • DOT mandates urine testing
  • Level of risk tolerance
  • Cost
  • Detection period (How far you want to go back in time)
  • Type of testing (Pre-employment, random tests, reasonable suspicion, post-accident, follow-up, or return-to-duty)
  • Method required by company policy
  • Individual needs
  • Court required testing

If you must follow the Department of Transportation Federal Program Guidelines, urine is the only screening method available at this time. Changes are coming, however, and DATCS will keep you informed about these changes.

The different specimen choices can be very confusing. Each testing method has strengths and weaknesses — DATCS can help you develop and customize a drug program to fit your needs.

(Q) How does hair testing compare to urinalysis?

(A) Hair and Nail testing have the longest detection period and are the most popular for court-ordered drug testing.

Pros for hair testing:

  • Wider window of detection (up to 90 days)
  • No shy bladder incidents
  • Inability to tamper with the test
  • Higher rate of positive results
  • Good test for cocaine detection
  • Suitable for pre-employment due to detection window

Cons for hair testing:

  • Relatively high cost
  • Takes approximately 5 to 10 days from the time of drug use for detection
  • Longer turnaround times
  • Challenging when donor has shaved or is void of head/body hair

Pros for urine testing:

  • Inexpensive
  • Proven track record
  • Approved for federal testing (including Department of Transportation)
  • Applicable for a variety of testing reasons, including pre-employment, random, post-accident, reasonable suspicion, follow-up, and return-to-duty screening
  • Dependable
  • Wider range of drugs can be detected

Cons for urine testing:

  • Vulnerable to adulteration (cheating)
  • Difficulty in providing a sample (Shy bladder)
  • Shorter detection period

(Q) Which specimen has the shortest detection period?

(A) Oral fluid drug testing has the shortest drug detection times.

Drug use history varies with each drug tested. The ranges in amount and frequency of use, metabolic rate, body mass, age, overall health, and drug tolerance are determining factors.
The chart below gives approximate detection periods for each drug tested:

Drug Cutoff Level Approximate Detection Time in Oral fluid
Amphetamine 1,000 ng/mL 1-3 days
Cocaine 300 ng/mL 1-3 Days
Methamphetamine 1,000 ng/mL 1-3 Days
Opiates 2,000 ng/mL 1-3 Days
Phencyclidine 25 ng/mL 1-3 Days
THC 50 ng/mL 6-12 Hours

Pros for oral fluid testing:

  • Makes mobile collections easier because no bathroom is needed
  • Eliminates a three hour wait for a shy bladder
  • Makes adulteration significantly harder for donors since it is collected under direct observation
  • Has a narrow but immediate detection window, making it a natural choice for reasonable suspicion testing and post-accident testing
  • Lab-based testing for oral fluids has proven to be scientifically accurate (equivalent to urine)

Cons for oral fluid testing:

  • Does not detect illicit drug use beyond 48 hours
  • Cannot measure frequency of use
  • Not currently approved for federal testing (SAMHSA is in the process of  defining rules to incorporate it in future federal testing.)
  • No federally-approved labs are available for testing
  • Limited on the type of drugs tested

(Q) If my company does not fall under federal drug testing, how many drugs should I test for?

(A) Results from more than 5.5 million drug tests reveal an 18% jump in opiate positives in the general U.S. workforce in a single year. Schedule 1 opioids increased by a staggering 380%. Depending on your company policy, and the type of work your company does, these laboratory statistics suggest using a 10 panel with expanded opiates to cover the abuse of these prescription drugs.
Drugs below are the most abused drugs in the workplace:

THC (Marijuana)
Cocaine
Amphetamines
Methamphetamines
Opiates
Barbiturates
Benzodiazepines
Phencyclidine (PCP)
Methadone
MDMA (Ecstasy)
Oxycodone
Propoxyphene
Tramadol

(Q) What is the detection period for nail testing, and how is it done?

(A) Fingernails and toenails can show between 8 to 12 months of drug history. It is best to gather 100 milligrams of specimen for testing. Clipping from 2 to 3 millimeters off all fingernails and toenails should equal 100 milligrams. 

(Q) How do you implement a drug program for a company?

(A) Before you administer employee drug screenings, it is critical that your company has a drug/alcohol testing policy. State drug testing laws may mandate substance testing for some businesses, exceptions being ones that fall under US DOT. A policy enforces consistency and can prevent litigation regarding drug tests resulting in termination and other sensitive matters. DATCS can guide you in state drug testing laws.

There are 6 key steps to making any organization an active drug-free workplace:

  • A sound, up-to-date comprehensive drug and alcohol policy
  • Pre-employment, random, reasonable suspicion, post-accident, return-to-duty, and follow-up drug testing
  • In-house employee assistance program or an up-to-date resource referral list
  • Supervisor training on the indicators of drug and alcohol abuse, and a reasonable suspicion incident
  • Ongoing employee education
  • A trained DER in charge of the random program

If your company does not have a policy in place and you’re not exactly sure how to develop one yourself, the professionals at DATCS will be happy to assist you. In fact, we offer a model policy that can be customized to your specifications.

These services are a business expense and are 100% tax deductible, so setting up a drug and alcohol testing program makes sense in today’s world. Encouraging your employees to remain drug free protects your organization, your employees, and your community, and saves you money!

If you need to administer pre-employment drug screening tests or implement a company-wide testing program, contact us today.

Alcohol Testing

In the workplace, the reasons for alcohol testing are:

  • Pre-employment, random, post-accident, return-to-duty, follow-up, and reasonable suspicion testing.
  • Courts today are testing for alcohol through urine, breath, hair, nails, or blood (invasive procedure). 
  • Urine indicates alcohol consumption within three days of collection. EtG (Ethyl-Glucuronide) can be detected in urine up to 80 hours after consumption. EtG is a minor metabolite of ethanol (alcohol) produced by the conjugation of ethanol with glucuronic acid. When alcohol is ingested, EtG is quickly created.
  • Nail and hair indicate multiple occurrences of high alcohol consumption within 3 months.
  • Breath alcohol detection has many variables to determine the length of time. Weight, gender, consumption, and other factors are important. DOT regulations say no more attempts to test breath alcohol after 8 hours for a required post-accident.

DATCS offers a variety of professional breath alcohol testers for workplace testing and law enforcement. Click here for testing supplies and equipment.

(Q) What is the best method for alcohol testing?

(A) Workplace alcohol testing is usually done by breath or saliva. Blood alcohol testing is generally invasive.

Saliva alcohol testing is for screening negative results only. These results from an alcohol screening device will not give you the exact levels of alcohol concentration if the (ASD) is 0.02 or higher. Under 49 CFR part 40 of the Procedures for Transportation Workplace Drug and Alcohol Testing programs, you must confirm a non-evidential (ASD) saliva test showing over 0.02 alcohol by an approved breathalyzer machine test.

Traditional screening methods have their limitations, such as a relatively short window of detection. An alcohol test for EtG, a biomarker test that can detect the presence of ethyl glucuronide in a variety of specimen types, promises a much wider window of detection and is becoming more popular among potential users in the criminal justice, treatment, and workplace markets.

EtG (Ethyl glucuronide) testing is often required in child custody agreements before visitation is allowed and requires a laboratory test that can detect the substance up to 80 hours after consumption.

To implement a drug testing program

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