If you still use records or cassettes to play music, you’re probably not the type of person who adapts to change well. And perhaps the same can be said for those Brisbane businesses that still conduct urine drug testing.
It wasn’t long ago when urine drug testing was the most common means of testing for drugs. But, like records and cassettes, that was then and this is now and saliva drug testing is today considered a much better option.
Let’s take a look at both methods and we’ll explain why saliva testing is better than urine drug testing for your Brisbane workplace.
Urine drug testing
- Sample collection is relatively simple, but can be intrusive and embarrassing. The person who is being tested uses a small jar to provide a sample of urine.
- Testing is also quite simple. Generally, a test strip or lab reagent is dipped into the urine. A change of colour indicates a positive drug test and which drug is to blame.
- Urine drug testing is considered accurate.
- Urine drug testing can be used to show the presence of a wide range of drugs.
- Results can be obtained reasonably quickly, on-site, as long as the equipment, facilities and resources are available. Otherwise samples need to be sent off-site, which means that results won’t be known immediately.
Saliva drug testing
- Taking samples couldn’t be easier. The person being tested simply rubs a collection device around the inside of their mouth, to take a sample of their saliva.
- The collection device is then placed in the testing unit. For all of Integrity Sampling’s saliva drug testing, we use the Drager Drug Test 5000.
- Results are extremely accurate.
- Testing can detect a wide range of drugs.
- Results can be obtained in as little as 5 minutes, which means that a person who records a positive result can be removed immediately to safety, away from the work environment. Other than the collection devices and the Drager unit, you don’t need any equipment or facilities. Testing can be carried out virtually anywhere, even on a farm or down a mine.
Which method is best for your Brisbane business? Urine drug testing or saliva testing?
We believe there are several reasons why saliva drug testing if better than urine drugs testing:
- Urine drug testing is less acceptable for people being tested. That’s because the collection of urine samples is often seen by people to be invasive and embarrassing.
- When using urine drug testing methods, if supervision levels are high, the invasiveness and embarrassment levels are even more pronounced and there is the potential to infringe an employee’s privacy. If supervision levels are low, the opportunity for tampering and ‘cheating’ increases. There is virtually zero risk of tampering or cheating with saliva drug testing.
- Using saliva drug testing, collecting samples is not embarrassing or invasive. Importantly, restroom and other facilities aren’t required to obtain results very quickly, so that anyone under the influence can be removed from the workplace straight away.
Another key difference between urine drug testing and saliva drug testing is what is called the window of detection. That is, the time between the drug taking and the drug test. For urine drug testing, the window of detection is wider than for saliva drug testing, and can be up to several days. This means that potentially a person who hasn’t had drugs for more than 1 or 2 days – and would be considered fit for work and safe to be at work – can provide a positive urine drug test. The window of detection for saliva drug testing is less and is considered by experts to be a much truer indication of whether a person is fit and safe for work.
What this means is that you won’t see Integrity Sampling recommending urine drug testing for your Brisbane workplace. However, if you’d prefer to conduct urine drug testing, for whatever reason, we have the resources and experience to help you.
If you have any questions on the advantages of saliva drug testing over urine drug testing for your Brisbane workplace, contact us.
