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Top 5 Reasons Why Employers Should Consider Drug Testing
Drug testing will improve workplace safety, increase productivity, reduce absenteeism, lower healthcare costs & ensure legal compliance.
Dr. Awais
May 24, 2023
Why Saliva Drug Test Kits are Gaining Popularity in the Workplace
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Saliva drug tests are increasingly becoming used by professionals in the workplace as an alternative to traditional drug testing such as blood or urine samples. The use of drug testing is common in the workforce to deter illegal drug use by employees. There are many reasons why these tests have risen in popularity. Major factors are convenience, noninvasiveness, and efficiency of use.
How Saliva Drug Tests Work
The test itself begins with the collection of oral fluid. This fluid is known as saliva, which is a natural substance secreted by the salivary glands of the mouth. The sample is typically collected on a foam pad and then moved onto the drug detection device.
The small collection device gathers the fluid. A visual result is shown at the conclusion of the test. Following collection, results are available in 5-10 minutes, depending on the test used.
Efficacy and Privacy
The oral drug test is appealing to employers because the sample can be easily attainable versus other means of drug testing. For instance, blood drug tests are invasive and require a trained individual to collect the sample. Urine tests have disadvantages, such as privacy of the individual and problems with adulteration. A saliva test doesn’t require the venipuncture to obtain blood for testing, nor the unattended collection of the urine which has the risk of sample adulteration to try to prevent detection of drug(s).
The use of saliva as a sample takes under a minute to produce and is attainable in unrestricted circumstances. The results can be provided in the same location as testing takes place, allowing for rapid results. The speed of the process is an appealing aspect to employers.
Current research by Western Michigan University could have a positive impact on saliva drug testing. This research will be the first to study many oral fluid/urine paired specimens from patients in real world programs. The project will test for 130 different drugs.
Applications of use
Saliva drug test kits are very useful after a safety incident or in an event where a drug screening is rapidly needed. If an incident occurs, drug use may be suspected. In this situation, it is ideal to determine if a result is negative or “non-negative” as soon as possible. Depending on workplace testing protocols, the negative employees can return to work and an employee with “non-negative” results can be referred for lab-based testing.
The ease of use and access to rapid oral (or urine) drug tests on-site, is an important reason for their increasing popularity. An employer may have the tests on hand and ready for immediate use, in many cases without the need to use lab-based testing.
The increasing use of rapid drug test kits is an important part of maintaining a safe workplace environment.
At DrugTestKitUSA, we offer a comprehensive line of urine and saliva drug tests. We believe that workplace safety also extends to minimizing COVID-19 infections at work. DrugTestKitUSA also offers COVID-19 Antigen Self-Tests.
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