What are the different types of drug testing

drug testing becomes ever-more important in today’s society, particularly in the workplace, it’s important that both employer and employee understand exactly what it is, and how it’s implemented. Workplace drug testing is to ensure that all businesses maintain a safe and efficient employment. Having employees at work who aren’t sober is a waste of money, resources and productivity. So what type of drug tests are there? The primary way that an employer will drug test employees is with a urine drug screen. This can be both off-site testing and on-site testing, with the latter become more popular in recent times. Alternatively, a more intense form of drug testing is hair follicle testing. A hair follicle drug test measures the drug molecules and their specific metabolites that are produced only after the drug has been processed by the human body. After the drug is processed, trace amounts of its metabolites are inserted into hair follicle by the bloodstream.  Therefore, a hair follicle drug test can cover a period of approximately 90 days (is taken from your head), but is susceptible to time variation depending on the growth rate of your hair. Saliva drug tests can generally only detect drug use over the last few days, and so is a type of drug testing that is rarely used. Nonetheless, it is often perceived as quicker and less invasive than other forms of testing. It is unlikely that an employer would request this form of test. While these are the three most common types of drug test, sweat tests is a further type of test that is sometimes used. Nonetheless, as mentioned previously, the primary use of test for employers will be urine tests, because it can be the most economic drug testing methods with least working cost. This method is fairly accurate & is referred to as “the gold standard”. As an employer, if you would like more information of drug testing and how you can put it into practice in your business, get in touch with Mind Your Business today.]]>