Last updated : December 16, 2024
DIY drug test kits may seem like the answer to your human resource prayers, but think twice before using them to test your employees and three times before trusting the results. Though they are sometimes less expensive than in person laboratory drug tests, DIY test kits are also flawed in a number of ways, some of which could leave you ripe for a wrongful termination suit or other legal action. Trying to save money short-term could have very serious long-term consequences.
Accuracy
The accuracy of DIY drug tests are often called into question, and with good reason. Far too many variables are introduced when a test is performed by anyone other than a professional. For one, the procedure does matter and DIY kit accuracy suffers because of it. Introduce error at the earliest stages and those errors are compounded down the chain of custody. Positive results from a DIY kit may only indicate the need for further testing while a negative result might provide a false sense of security.
According to the FDA, DIY test accuracy can be impacted by how the sample is collected and stored and that’s only what the administrator can control while other important variables can be ignored or missed.
Positive results don’t indicate abuse
Another flaw in DIY drug tests is that they are qualitative tests rather than quantitative ones. Put simply, you may be able to detect the presence of a drug but you won’t know how much of it is there. An employee who tests positive for Valium or Oxycodone, for instance, may be under a doctor’s orders to take these medications. So long as he is taking them in the properly prescribed amounts, he is not abusing the drugs. Only a lab test can tell you if there were excessive amounts of the drug present and labor and health law makes requesting medical proof a tricky subject. A professional tester provides a buffer so that the lab can be properly notified of legally obtained prescriptions and hold others to a fair standard.
Negative results from faulty or expired tests
It’s certainly a bigger cause of concern for DIY tests than those conducted in a lab. A negative test result doesn’t necessarily mean that the person tested isn’t using drugs. DIY tests just aren’t as reliable as lab tests. If a person makes a mistake in a lab setting it’s noted and multiple tests can be performed. It’s also possible that the employee you test has found a way to “beat” a test and tampered with the sample. In a controlled setting, those types of problems get addressed immediately.
Two tests for the price of…two
This one won’t open you up to a lawsuit but it will cost you. To protect yourself and your employees from false accusations based on a flawed or improperly administered drug test, all positive test results must be confirmed through a lab test. This means you’re still paying for a costly lab test as well as paying additional money for the DIY test. When viewed from this perspective, it’s clear that DIY test kits don’t actually produce the money savings they promise.
Who, me?
Who’s going to be tested? Who performs the test? If you are going the DIY route, you’re assuming a mantle of responsibility, but you’re also accepting that someone is actually going to have to perform the tests. If you’re going to have employees do it themselves, why DIY at all? If you’re not doing it, who is? If you perform the test, what might your liability be? Do you have insurance? Do you NEED insurance? What kind of safety precautions do you have to take from a medical standpoint? from a legal one?
Nobody’s got time for this
The time you think you are saving for others is time that has to be spent coming up with a comprehensive and legally sound plan—that a testing facility already has in place or a mobile facility can tailor to suit your needs. How much would you pay someone to get you out of the trouble, grief, aggravation, and actual handling of human drug testing samples? Each test has to be properly handled, properly labeled, properly logged, properly reported. You have to set aside time and space to do it. No matter how “easy” the DIY test makes this sound, it will not be simple and it most assuredly will not be fast.
Sometimes outsourcing just makes sense. You may be amazing at what you do, but unless you’re in the drug testing business or health care field, you don’t test people for drug use for a living. If you did, you’d have to use an outside source anyway. It’s wise to stick to the things you know and let others do this dirty work. It’s not just accuracy. It’s not just cost. It’s not just unreliable results or human error. It’s all of those things that make relying on DIY drug tests a poor choice.
