AccuDiagnostics

Posts Tagged ‘Drug Test’

Consortium Services

The Federal Department of Transportation (DOT) requires that all drivers with a Commercial Drivers License and safety-sensitive employees, who drive commercial motor vehicles, must take  drug and alcohol tests. Some drivers and employees that the DOT regulations apply to are: drivers that own or lease a commercial motor vehicle, Federal, State and local governments, For-Hire Motor Carriers, Private Motor Carriers, Civic Organizations and Churches.

Drug and alcohol tests are required when there is reasonable suspicion, which is when a trained supervisor or company official observes behavior or appearance that an employee is under the influence. If an employee is in an accident that results in a citation due to their performance behind the wheel and all fatal accidents, this will require a post-accident drug and alcohol test. When an employee, who has used drugs and/or alcohol during working hours, has come back to work a follow-up test will be conducted. Random testing is done throughout the year and is unannounced.

For businesses and trucking companies that have a couple drivers, random drug and alcohol testing would be difficult to accomplish. The option to join a consortium will solve the issue of random testing where the names of the drivers are added into a pool of names from other companies with commercial drivers. AccuDiagnostics offers consortium services and uses an advanced computer software system that will completely randomize when the drivers need to be tested.

By joining the AccuDiagnostics Consortium Services, your company drivers can meet the Federal DOT drug and alcohol regulations. At AccuDiagnostics, they offer full-service Consortium Services. They will schedule and maintain testing schedules, plus, they will do the drug and alcohol testing. Mobile and On-site testing is, also, available through AccuDiagnostics so there will be no downtime for your drivers when they have to be tested. AccuDiagnostics consortium services are also available to non DOT-regulated drivers.

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Information is provided for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. AccuDiagnostics does not engage in the practice of medicine. The information provided should not be used to diagnose or treat any medical condition. Readers are urged to consult a licensed physician before starting or stopping any medical treatment. Any action by the reader in response to this information is at their discretion, and AccuDiagnostics can in no way be held liable for such action.

While used less commonly than urine and other forms of drug testing, saliva testing has proven a consistently reliable method of drug testing. It also offers the benefit of being less intrusive and less easy to “cheat.” The collection process is very efficient and requires neither the discomfort nor invasiveness of a blood draw or the embarrassment of a supervised urine test. Nearly 30% of American employers now utilize saliva drug testing.

The Process

The process for specimen collection in a saliva drug test is markedly easy when compared with blood and urine tests. A swab that looks similar to a toothbrush with a pad instead of bristles is placed between the lower cheek and gums for about two minutes. Once saturated with saliva the bad is transferred to a collection vial where it is then transferred to the testing facility.

An Emergency or Post-Accident Solution

Saliva testing cannot be used to show historical use. It is because of this unfortunate limitation that saliva testing is primarily used in situations where the individual is being tested for recent drug use, such as in post-accident testing for vehicle and equipment operators and those involved in workplace accidents.

Limited Detection Duration

While many people question the validity of saliva testing, the most commonly abused drugs can all be detected in saliva. These include marijuana, heroin, cocaine and amphetamines. However, each drug becomes untraceable in saliva in a different amount of time. The chart below holds many of the commonly abused drugs and the duration after use that they will be seen in a saliva test.

Drug Detection period

• Marijuana and hashish (THC) – Up to 24 hours (1 day)
• Alcohol – Up to 48 hours (2 days)
• Opiates – Up to 72 hours (3 days)
• Methamphetamines – Up to 72 hours (3 days)
• Cocaine – Up to 72 hours (3 days)
• Benzodiazepines – Up to 72 hours (3 days)
• Nicotine – Up to 10 days
• Barbituates – Up to 4 weeks

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Information is provided for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. AccuDiagnostics does not engage in the practice of medicine. The information provided should not be used to diagnose or treat any medical condition. Readers are urged to consult a licensed physician before starting or stopping any medical treatment. Any action by the reader in response to this information is at their discretion, and AccuDiagnostics can in no way be held liable for such action.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) has recently implemented more stringent drug testing guidelines that will affect all related industry professionals. All parties who conduct drug and alcohol tests are required to be familiar with these new rules, as are all transportation employers, safety-sensitive employees, and service agents. Self-employed individuals, contractors, and volunteers covered by DOT agency regulations will be required to know them as well.

Due to excessive cheating on drug tests, it is now mandatory for laboratories to test all DOT specimens for validity. This means all specimens will be tested thoroughly for adulterants and urine substitutes. The final rule will no longer have easy-to-follow tables and charts outlining exactly what laboratories are testing for. This has been put in place to complicate the work of those who manufacture products designed to deceive drug tests.

As of the implementation of these new procedures, any donor found to posses or wear a prosthetic or other device that could interfere with the collection process will be considered refusing to test. Also, any donor who willfully admits to the collector, medical review officer, or other official that he or she has adulterated or substituted the specimen will be considered refusing to test.

The final rules will also streamline and simplify the process of confirmation in an effort to reduce the number of complicated, laboratory confirmed and MRO-verified results. The final rule also requires that drug-testing laboratories report their semi-annual statistical summaries to the DOT.

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Information is provided for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. AccuDiagnostics does not engage in the practice of medicine. The information provided should not be used to diagnose or treat any medical condition. Readers are urged to consult a licensed physician before starting or stopping any medical treatment. Any action by the reader in response to this information is at their discretion, and AccuDiagnostics can in no way be held liable for such action.