Last updated : July 14, 2025
It was your fledgling company’s first positive drug test result. After the DIY drug test actually read positive, you followed the state protocol and took the employee’s specimen to a lab for retesting. You even drove it to the lab yourself! You waited to terminate the guy after receiving their positive result.
Who knew days later that he’d accuse you of switching his specimen with dirty urine to have an excuse to fire him? If you’d have known that was a possibility, DIY drug tests would have never been a consideration.
How are you ever going to prove otherwise?
If you’re an employer of the safety-sensitive workforce, the above scenario isn’t going to happen. The DOT requires the use of a certified laboratory for all employee drug testing. In addition to pre-employment drug testing, the employer enters all employees into a random drug testing pool.
If using a drug testing company, they generally have software to create random lists for periodic testing throughout the year.
Non-DOT testing
There are many options available to employers that aren’t regulated by the DOT or some other government entity. Employee drug testing methods include urine, mouth swab, and hair follicle tests. Blood testing is also an option, however, it is very expensive and rarely used.
Also, the DOT requires a standard 5 panel drug test with added panels to test for semi-synthetic opioids. Non-DOT employers may choose the number and types of drugs included on the company drug test.
Of course, employers of the general workforce often choose to use drug testing companies. However, they also have the option of using DIY drug testing kits.
Negative Results
Over 95% of employee drug tests produce negative results. Of course, this is what employers want to see! The employee is free to return to work and things carry on as usual.
Employers consider DIY test kits very cost-effective. This reason alone is enough for some to choose them for employee drug testing. However, we’re sharing five reasons that we believe make laboratory testing a better option.
You may want to consider them.
No confirmation
DIY drug test kits either pass or fail the test subject. There’s no way to confirm the result.
Drug tests submitted for laboratory testing undergo an initial test called an immunoassay test. If it yields a negative result and the specimen raises no red flags, the test is complete.
If the first test is positive, lab technicians perform a second test called the gas chromatography/mass spectrometry test. This test confirms the positive result and identifies the drug levels found in the body.
Laboratory equipment has grown very sophisticated. For instance, it’s possible to detect diluted specimens. This can indicate someone trying to flush out their system before the test.
A diluted specimen may affect a DIY test kit result.
Bad form
As portrayed above, DIY drug testing kits open the door to problems down the road.
Of course, the former employee is lying about his specimen being replaced in hopes of financial gain.
How are you going to prove that in court?
Using an objective third party to handle employee drug testing removes the possibility of a false accusation. There will be no opportunity for company tampering.
DIY drug test kits may open you up to a lawsuit even though you confirmed the positive result.
Adulteration less likely
Using a professional collector makes it impossible for a disgruntled employee to accuse the company of foul play. Additionally, it is far less likely that someone tampers with a test specimen or falsifies the test.
The internet is full of ways for someone to “beat” all types of employee drug tests. You can be sure that many test subjects try one or more ways to get over on their employers.
Technicians trained in the art of detection pick up on things that the rest of us easily overlook. Red flag moments call for further testing to confirm or deny their suspicion one way or the other.
DIY drug tests lack the trained professional element.
Reading results
DIY drug tests are often misread.
Hiring a professional to drug test employees alleviates the risk of incorrectly determining the result. Even a positive result ultimately proved negative with laboratory confirmation could put you at risk of a lawsuit in this day and age.
Moreover, there will be no chance of error during the testing process that might affect the result.
Speaking of results
Not all DIY drug tests use the same levels to achieve a positive or negative result. So, when they proclaim incredible accuracy, we wonder whose standard they are holding themselves too.
FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved DIY test kits meet government standards that confirm their safety, validity, and accuracy. To earn the approval rating, the FDA requires clinical trials, vast amounts of documentation, and FDA inspections of facilities and laboratories.
Laboratory tests adhere to stricter manufacturing standards across the board. In fact, many employers choose to use a SAMSHA certified laboratory. To earn SAMSHA certification, laboratories meet the highest government standards and pass rigorous inspections.
No margin for error
If you have an employee that uses drugs, detection may be the key to saving their life. Does your company include a list of available resources that offer help through rehabilitation? Taking the time to show concern could be the catalyst someone needs to push through the darkness of drug addiction.
Of course, the majority of employees don’t use drugs at all.
Even so, by promoting a drug-free workplace, employers are striving to provide a safe working environment for everyone. Drug impairment puts the user and all around them at higher risk of an accident. Not to mention that drug users cost employers billions of dollars a year in lower production rates, medical costs, and employee absenteeism.
Choosing a drug testing professional to handle your employee drug testing rather than DIY drug tests assures that your tests are completed professionally, the results are reliable, and there is never a fear of being falsely accused of foul play.
