Australasia’s workplace drug testing is a ticking time bomb as result of sub standard testing practises.

Current oral fluid drug testing practises conducted in Australian workplaces prove a dangerous risk for companies.

There are too many inaccuracies with some current oral fluid testing practises being conducted and hocked off by snake oil salespeople in our industry. The fact of the matter is urine has proved five times more effective as a testing method and has significantly reduced the risks of both false positives and more importantly, false negatives.

For urine collection, individual testers must have the relevant AQTF/NZQA qualifications and the company must hold ISO 15189 accreditation for on-site urine screening. Accredited companies can be found on the NATA (Australia) and IANZ (NZ) websites. The importance of accreditation should not be underestimated when we are talking about safety in your workplace, it ensures that the on-site testing is conducted to highest standard with the best possible testing equipment and procedures.

Methamphetamine or aka 'ICE' (Australia) or aka 'P' (New Zealand) is a big problem right now, with some companies reporting that oral fluid testing is not always sufficient to detect.

This has been recently highlighted in Australia with Goonyella Riverside Mine in central Queensland switching from oral to urine drug testing resulting in an increase of five times the number of positive test results. The switch was made due to the increase in Methamphetamine in the workforce and more emphasis on safety.

Problems with oral fluid testing was also recently highlighted by a TV news story on Channel 7, research shows that one in three oral fluid screening kits are failing to return adequate readings. The story pinpointed the problem as due largely to machine and equipment faults.

The fact is oral fluid testing devices and some practises are not accurate and what is missed in terms of ‘false negatives’ in the workplace is concerning, especially when we start talking about the ‘risk taking behaviour’ and the consequences of 'rebound fatigue' associated with the use of central nervous system stimulants such as ‘ICE', 'P'..

Urine testing has come under criticism for some drugs such as cannabis and we always hear the same objections; that the 'high' only lasts a few hours and urine testing results go back longer, therefore it's encroaching on peoples' private lives during out of work time.  However, like alcohol, cannabis used out of work time can still pose a risk in terms of safety when employees come to work.

An employer needs to be confident that they have mitigated any workplace risk and addressed the problem.

Research from the Australian Royal College of Psychiatrists supports this view in terms of the safety issue and the benefits of urine testing over oral fluid testing 

"A review of the research on the effect of cannabis on pilots revealed that those who had used cannabis made far more mistakes, both major and minor, than when they had not smoked cannabis. The pilots were tested in flight simulators, not actually flying... the worst effects were in the first four hours, although they persisted for at least 24 hours, even when the pilot had no sense at all of being 'high'. It concluded "Most of us, with this evidence, would not want to fly with a pilot who had smoked cannabis within the last day or so".

I want to reiterate that on-site workplace drug testing must be conducted by qualified specialist testers employed by an accredited organisation to ensure a valid result. Drug affected people are posing a huge risk in the workplace, not only to themselves but to their fellow employees and also the wider community as they travel to and from work or as part of their daily work duties.

However, I expect better processes to be put in place and issues plaguing the current oral fluid drug testing practises will be addressed when the revisions to the current AS4760 oral fluid standard are finalised.

Two of TDDA’s senior management team, Dr Paul Fitzmaurice and Rod Dale, are current members of the oral fluids standards committee and along with a number of other industry experts have been tasked to review the current AS4760 Oral fluid testing Standard.

I am confident that the revised standard will address some of the poor practises and products that are putting lives in the workplace at risk.

TDDA has ISO 15189:2012 accreditation for workplace drug testing (see NATA and IANZ websites for further detail) in both Australia and New Zealand.  TDDA is considered to be a leader in its field with over 45 offices throughout Australasia and 60 mobile testing units.

For more information visit www.tdda.com