Masonry Magazine October 2006 Page. 29
DRUG PANELS
that we would lose 30 out of the 80 people we had in the field. We only lost three."
Four weeks before drug testing started, the company held a special meeting to inform employees about the testing and advised them to "clean up or leave the company," Lang said. "The testing wasn't about catching someone to cause them more pain. That's why we were open and honest about telling them we were starting the program and when it was starting. It was about providing the safest workplace we possibly can for each of them."
Fast, Reliable, On-the-job Drug Tests
"I really think it's important for people to understand that drug testing is not a club to hit people with," said Jay Davis, president of Omega Laboratories in Mogadore, Ohio. "It protects the health and safety of the workers because drug users are going to hurt themselves or an innocent bystander."
Peter Cholakis, vice president of marketing for Avitar Inc. in Canton, Mass., agreed, saying testing is designed to discourage drug use before it starts.
"The goal of drug testing is not to catch abusers," Cholakis said. "The goal is prevention and deterrence."
Avitar provides a $20 oral fluid test, better known as the saliva test. It can be administered by an employer or a third party with immediate results right on the job site.
Drug testing guidelines are established by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, formerly under the direction of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).
The five "panels," or drug groups, companies often test for are referred to as the "NIDA 5." The panels cover dozens of drugs in five classes: cannabinoids (marijuana); cocaine; amphetamines (including methamphetamine); opiates (heroin, opium, morphine); and phencyclidine (PCP).
However, the panels, established more than 20 years ago, don't detect "synthetic" drugs such as synthetic pain killers a commonly abused type of drug. Drug tests that test more than five panels are available, but they may identify prescription medications, which can touch on privacy issues. For that reason, companies typically stick with the NIDA 5.
"The cost savings of drug testing is typically 100 times the cost of the test," Cholakis said. "We have companies that have gone from multiple accidents to zero or near zero."
Saliva samples are easy to obtain. There are no needles, it's not a bio-hazard, and there are no disposal issues, as with blood. Like blood testing, the oral fluid test identifies drug use only within the last few days, but since it detects recent drug use -within 10 minutes of use it's a good test following an accident or reasonable suspicion of using drugs.
"For post accident testing, oral fluid and blood are the only viable options, Cholakis said.
Meanwhile, Omega Laboratories tests for drugs using hair samples. It won't detect drugs used within the last three to four days, but it will identify drugs used over a 90-day period.
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