Last updated : November 18, 2024
Rumors are floating around the company that a certain employee may have tampered with their drug test to achieve a false negative result. There’s no way to prove it, of course, so you’ve asked management to keep an eye out and document any suspicion of drug use. The situation has raised a thought though. Short of a tell-tale look or odd behaviors that send up a red flag, is there some way to detect that an employee is cheating on a drug test?
The answer from the employer’s standpoint is not really. However, there is one measure to put in place that can help guard against cheating when it’s time to take the test.
Surprise them
Some companies require possible new hires to take a pre-employment drug test. However, if someone is looking for a job, the odds are that they aren’t using drugs during the process. You can still implement the element of surprise to a degree by inviting possible new hires back for a second interview and then having them report directly for a drug test from there.
Random drug testing programs are the best-case scenario for weeding out employees who use drugs. However, make certain that employees are unable to delay taking the scheduled test if their name is pulled. Your drug-free policies should clearly state that moving the appointment further out is strictly forbidden.
That stipulation prevents them from trying to rid their body of drugs naturally before taking the test. They won’t have time to try any other methods said to mask drug use long enough to produce a sample for the test either.
How do they do it?
One method they try is diluting samples by drinking large quantities of water. A desperate employee may attempt this on the way to the test site. However, advancements in drug testing technology over the years have nearly eliminated the possibility of them hitting the mark. Partnering with a mobile drug testing company that “randomly” shows up directly at your business rids you of that worry.
There are many products on the market that claim to rid the body of drug metabolites but they take time to get into the system. Some foods are said to detoxify the body as well, but they too need time to get into the system. Sending employees for an immediate drug test prevents the possibility of attempting to detoxify.
It’s said that extreme workouts can rid the body of drug metabolites faster due to the sweating process. That would take several days or more—if it were to work at all. Of course, a drug-using employee will most likely be sweating bullets all the way to the test site—it won’t be enough to do the trick though.
Once employees are notified of the drug test, sending them directly to the test site prevents them from trying any of the above tactics. Track their check-in time to see the appointment was kept and they didn’t dawdle along the way.
Leave it with the pros
Drug testing companies employ top-notch test administrators. For instance, there have been instances of employees being caught smuggling in a substitute urine specimen but behavior alerted the staff. If the employee plays it cool and goes undetected during the test, the laboratory, especially if SAMHSA-approved, most likely can weed out the culprit immediately.
These days, a specimen swap is most likely synthetic urine. The lab tech’s trained eye can often catch the fake due to its appearance. However, if someone has a friend or family member who doesn’t use drugs an addict isn’t shy about asking them to “help them out.” Seriously. Enabling takes many forms.
Other than that, short of showing up for a hair test completely bald or sent to the emergency room for gargling bleach right before the mouth swab test, there just aren’t a lot of signs.
It’s tough to fly under the lab’s radar
Try as they might, drug users who try to beat the test rarely get by with it. Technology within the industry continues to evolve for the better. Meanwhile, at the same time, laboratory equipment grows continually more sophisticated. Add professional technicians to the mix and—well—the would-be cheaters are better off going to their employers and confessing they use drugs. Entering rehab voluntarily could behoove them. Their employer may even grant them a leave of absence.
If they get busted cheating on a drug test, though, they’re going to lose their jobs.
Drug tests keep evolving
Drug testing has come a long way since the early days. Back then, urine drug testing was the only option employers had. Employees quickly discovered that drinking a gallon or so of liquid over the few hours before the drug test would dilute the urine causing a negative drug test result. However, that’s not the case any longer. Even so, that advice and other “never fail” methods are still out there floating around on the internet.
So, you can bet that drug users continue to give them a go.
Urine drug test
Most employers still use urine tests for their employee drug testing programs. These days, that’s most likely because it’s the most cost-effective.
We mentioned above that employees still try to dilute their urine. The problem with that is that nowadays, creatinine levels are measured during the test. If the level is off one way or the other, it determines whether or not a specimen is diluted. The tests are flagged as inconclusive and the employee must take the test again. Unless, of course, the result still shows a positive result drug-wise. Most company policies dictate immediate termination in that case.
We also shared that employees try and substitute their specimens using another person’s or synthetic urine in place of their own. Synthetic urine is normally purchased in powder form and mixed with water. Its chemical makeup closely resembles human urine. However, a trained lab technician may detect an “off” color or the fact that there is not a bit of sediment in the specimen. Both these red-flag moments warrant further testing.
Some tamper with specimens by adding certain household chemicals, such as bleach or salt directly to their urine specimen before returning it to the test administrator.
Other substances used as adulterants are:
- Vinegar
- Pickle juice
- Detergent
- Iodine
- Isopropyl alcohol
- Eye drops
- Lemon juice
- Soda
Drug abusers are more than likely hoping to delay the test, thereby, giving their bodies time to clear out all signs of drug use. Marijuana smokers would need to stall for up to three months if they smoked daily! Good luck with that.
Hair and oral fluid tests
Other methods of drug testing, namely, hair follicle and oral fluid tests, are both very reliable methods but more expensive. However, they are both gaining in popularity.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) recently published a final ruling that included the approval of the oral fluid drug test. Employers are free to use it as an alternative to the urine test—as soon as two laboratories are approved by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The hope is that the notification goes out any day now. We’ll keep you posted!
Some trucking companies require their employees and pre-hires to submit to both the mandated DOT test and the hair follicle test, as well. That’s because some employers value being able to detect habitual use over the previous 90 days before the test.
Both methods are considered far less invasive than the urine test. The test subject is never out of the technician’s sight so there’s no hope of substituting a sample or tampering with the test in any way. As far as theories about mouthwashes, shampoos, and other detox products, they don’t work.
As we stated before, it would be best to confess and seek help instead of trying to cheat.
Desperation skews their judgment
It’s hard for people to admit that they have a drug problem though. Cheating on the drug test for whatever reason they’ve rationalized as justification is a cry for help in and of itself. Nobody plans to become a drug addict. However, what starts as occasional use when out with friends can quickly turn into an addiction. That’s partly due to a person’s genetic makeup.
Seriously.
Fifty percent of us are genetically predetermined to have addictive tendencies. And the news gets worse because the brain builds up a tolerance to lots of drugs. That means people need to keep upping the dosage to obtain the “buzz” they’re looking for. This, of course, increases their risk of addiction and of overdosing on the drug too.
If you have an employee who thinks cheating on the drug test is going to keep everything copacetic in their world, odds are they will be found out the first time they try it. The truth has a way of coming out eventually, doesn’t it?
Keep your employee managers trained to recognize the signs of drug use. Encourage employees to come to you if they feel there is a drug problem in the workplace. Moreover, continue to promote a drug-free workplace as your best defense because it is.
