Occupational Medicine
Drug and Alcohol Testing
Illegal drug use and alcohol abuse by employees remains a significant problem for American employers, affecting quality and productivity, and leading to safety issues.
Employers are entitled to require workplace drug and alcohol testing in the following situations:
- Post Offer/Preplacement*
- Post Injury
- Post Accident
- Reasonable Suspicion/Probable Cause
- Random Test
- Return to Work
- DOT Mandated Testing
*Alcohol testing is typically not done in post offer/pre-placement situations due to legal questions.
Drug testing can be done using both urine and hair specimens. There are “pros and cons” to both technologies, but currently, the majority of workplace drug testing is urine specimen based.
Drug Testing Options
Urine Drug
Testing
Sensia employs only collectors who are certified by the Drug and Alcohol Testing Industry Association (DATIA). That training and certification is
critical because if and when a drug test result is legally challenged, the
collection process is the target. The specimen collection and chain of custody
execution must be done correctly for the test result to be valid.
Sensia uses laboratories certified by the federal government's Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to conduct the analysis. We also do “rapid drug screens,” which can give an immediate negative result.
In addition to standard “rapid drug screens,” Sensia is an approved collector for EScreen, a leader in the electronic chain of custody and “rapid drug screen” industry.
Hair Drug
Testing
For a variety of reasons, many employers are now requiring hair
testing for their drug testing program. The drug detection window for hair testing is about 90 days and the
specimen collection process is not as subject to fraud as urine drug testing. FAQ
Alcohol
Testing
Sensia recommends Breath Alcohol Testing (BAT) be used for an
employer’s alcohol testing needs. Blood alcohol testing is available, but the BAT is faster, less
expensive and less invasive to the donor. All Sensia technical staff that do BATs are trained BAT technicians.
Oral Fluids
Testing
Oral fluids testing technology is emerging as an option for
employers. However, this
technology has still not gained the support of the drug and alcohol testing
industry.
Role of the Medical Review Officer (MRO)
Sensia Healthcare employs its own certified MROs, allowing Sensia to respond efficiently to our clients’ drug testing needs. The MRO is a physician who is trained and certified to interpret drug testing results for workplace drug testing. We don’t use anonymous, third-party MROs. Sensia’s MROs know our clients and are easily accessible for the tough situations that arise.
