Last updated : December 23, 2024
Alcohol and drugs pose a significant health and safety hazard in the workplace. They can decrease productivity and negatively impact morale. In addition, drug use has been shown to increase short-term disability claims and health insurance claims. Often employers will test both current employees and pre-employment applicants to determine if drugs are being used.
A 5-Panel drug test covers the most commonly abused drugs. These include amphetamines, cocaine, marijuana and phencyclidine (also known as PCP). The tests generally require a urine, hair or saliva sample
A urine test can determine if a drug itself or if the constituent drug metabolites are present. It cannot determine how much of a drug was taken or when. It simply confirms a drugs is presence. Urine is analyzed using an immunoassay. An immunoassay relies on the competitive binding principle. Drug constituents complete with other substances in the body for binding sites on specific antibodies. When drug metabolites are present this binding process can be monitored and its concentration determined by a clinician.
Saliva tests allow for observation of the specimen collection creating security and reliability. It can be done in any location as there is no need for privacy and saliva is not considered a bio-hazard.
Hair testing can detect drug constituents for up to 90 days. A follicle test analyzes what’s inside the hair shaft itself not what lies on the outside. This significantly decreases the possibility of external contaminants. Because obtaining hair is so unobtrusive there is basically no reason to delay testing for lack of a specimen.
All three methods are painless and the testing process is very quick, taking only a few minutes. The accuracy of drug tests are considered very high, are admissible in court and the results are usually available within seventy two hours.
