There are many options available when choosing to develop and organize a comprehensive drug screening program. Testing methods range from hand-held breathalysing through to more robust breathalysers, through to urinalysis and also saliva-testing procedures. The choice of testing method will largely depend on your business or industry’s needs, consultations with staff and employees (input) and issues pertaining to cost, workplace disruption and organisational issues.
It may also depend on various laws and privacy issues and even rulings by the Australian Industrial Relations Commission.
In 2008, the Commission ruled that Shell Company “could not take urine samples when it introduces random testing of its employees in safety critical areas such as its Clyde Refinery and Gore Bay Terminal, and should instead test saliva – a less intrusive method used by police to test passing motorists for drugs.”[1]
In the Decision Summary, the Commission clearly stated that “oral testing is preferred on privacy grounds” and also because, as unions stated “because it focuses specifically on recent drug use.” [2] In this sense it was therefore deemed less invasive and intrusive for employees. Additionally, the focus on recent drug use is also preferred by many, because it does not necessarily pick up on more distant use that may have occurred recreationally over the weekend or over a holiday or long weekend period.
Privacy issues and employee rights lie at the heart of this decision. In real terms, in relation to safety and health on site, employers have the right to drug test and need to do so in order to ensure a safe and sound workplace for all. However, often they require methods that accord with employee input as well as pressures placed upon them by unions and other organisations who champion the individual rights of employees over and above the requirements for a healthy and safe workplace. According to The Privacy Committee of NSW, in their Drug and Alcohol Policy Information Sheet 11, “confidentiality is fundamental to dealing with drug problems in the workplace.”[3]
Saliva Testing and Privacy
One of the distinct benefits of saliva testing of the type offered by Mediscreen is the increased privacy for employees. Saliva Testing is the preferred method of testing for drug-screening by roadside Police across Australia, because of its ease of use, and because it does not invade an individual’s life and “physical body” in the same way other forms of testing may.
Certainly, the balancing act of drug testing and privacy requires careful consideration when developing a comprehensive screening program. Screening for drugs may be required or preferred in certain industries and organisations, and the utilisation of streamlined methods that aid in a simple and effective management of drug and alcohol issues in the workplace is possible with Mediscreen. Mediscreen’s onsite testing processes utilise premium quality testing products that are suitable for all businesses. For further information call 1300 797040.
[1] http://www.smh.com.au/national/drug-test-ruling-gives-workers-greater-privacy-20090524-bjj2.html
