Security For Instant Drug Tests

Nov 1, 2005 12:00 PM, By Michael Fickes

HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENTS HAVE TRADITIONALLY MANAGED DRUG-TESTING PROGRAMS FOR COMPANIES, but today's new rapid or instant drug-testing technologies may require the expertise of corporate security departments as well.

“I think it makes sense that a security officer be handy,” says Joanne Ross, president of Drug Test Coordinators Inc., Wellington, Fla.

Under a conventional drug-testing scenario, a human resources representative directs prospective employees to a drug-testing lab where the prospects provide samples in a manner that complies with chain-of-custody rules. Then, the prospects go home and wait for the results until a human resources representative delivers them by phone, letter or e-mail.

Instant drug testing technology alters these procedures. Since company personnel collect specimens themselves, the company must set up chain-of-custody procedures to ensure that specimens being tested belong to the people being screened.

And what if an instant test yields a result that the person being tested does not agree with and does not like? Instant test results do not allow for a long distance communication. Should human resources people be asked to deal face-to-face with individuals disappointed by an unacceptable drug test? Shouldn't a security officer be nearby, just in case?

How instant technologies work

Instant or rapid drug screening technologies include older and newer urine screening tests and an oral swab system that tests saliva.

Older urine screening technologies require administrators to dip test strips into sample cups. Results appear on the test strips within a few minutes. Available for several years, this method is inexpensive, but unpleasant to administer.

More recently, drug-testing vendors have introduced a new instant urine testing technology that eliminates the need to handle urine cups. With the new technology, samples are collected in special containers with test strips on the inside walls of the containers. The person running the test simply looks at the label to determine the result.

For companies that simply do not want to deal with urine samples, instant oral fluid tests offer another alternative. An oral swab is used to collect a saliva sample and apply it to a test strip. The strip is then treated with a chemical mixture, and the result appears within a few minutes.

Initially positive results from either urine or oral swab tests must undergo a second test in a qualified laboratory, in order to confirm or refute the reading.

Disadvantages

Instant drug screening technologies offer speed, but costs, although presumably lower, can be difficult to estimate, and results sometimes require interpretation. Instant testing, depending on the procedures set up, can also offer a powerful temptation to cheat. Here's a closer look at some of these problems.

Uncertain costs: Instant testing appears less expensive than off-site lab-based testing. For example, Novato, Calif.-based PDS, which sells drug-testing materials, prices its low-cost off-site testing from $48 per completed test. By comparison, Chatsworth, Calif.-based InfoLink Screening Services Inc. charges $22 per five-panel instant urine test when a company purchases a minimum of 25 test kits.

But the real cost of instant drug testing is higher than the price of a test kit. People must operate the device, record its findings, distribute results and make decisions about what to do with the results. The real cost should take into account the time spent managing the process.

Subjective results: “In a lot of these tests, the results are subjective and up for interpretation,” Ross says. “If a test strip does not turn bright red or whatever color it is supposed to turn, the person interpreting the test may have to make a subjective decision.”

Cheating made easy: Ross also notes that because an instant testing system does not send people to third party collection sites, the person monitoring the instant test is the same person collecting the sample. If only one person is present during the test, there might be cases when it becomes tempting to cheat. What if the person being tested is a friend of the person conducting the test? With no controls in the process, it becomes possible to falsify samples or results.

While it may raise costs, a security officer trained in chain-of-custody practices should be on hand to help the human resources representative conducting the tests. The officer can witness the process and ensure that samples are acquired properly. In addition, the presence of a security officer can help deal with a prospect who grows angry about the results.

“I think a security officer could also be involved in this process at the front end — to set up testing procedures,” says Betty Emerson, president of the Substance Abuse Program Administrators Association (SAPAA). “They can help human resources people, who in some cases do not have a clue about proper testing procedures. Security officers can track regulations, set up procedures and train human resources people to do the work.

“In addition, security officers can calm situations before they get out of hand. Suppose you want to test someone on the reasonable suspicion that he is drunk on the job and determined to drive a vehicle. We always teach that you have to call site security in these kinds of cases.”

In the final analysis, instant drug tests may require the time of more company personnel than conventional drug testing regimens. While that may equalize the cost of instant and conventional drug testing procedures, it will also speed the process and deliver results sooner, which is good for the company and the prospective employees.

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