Is Your Company Requiring Saliva Drug Testing? All You Need To Know

In some countries, drug testing among employees is not required because the use of it is legal. Only precautionary, personal measures are advised.

However, in other parts of the world, it is not allowed, even marijuana is banned, and so, they implement strict mechanisms to make sure that nobody gets high and violates the law.

But of course, there are people who are able to escape the authorities and sell or use prohibited drugs.

This is alarming to everyone in the society, especially if the victims are getting younger. We hear of addict teenagers and people getting crazy and violent, including rapist, murderer, robbers, thieves, and others.

Considering all these, it is completely understandable for any company to ensure that their employees are not working in the office under the influence of it or they do not want to employ drug addict for safety reasons. We have to take note that when a person is high, he or she is capable of doing anything. They are not who they are. The substance itself controls their mind. Therefore, the employers must prevent unwanted things to happen. They must prioritize the welfare of their people, specifically their safety in the workplace.

First, they hope that through this procedure, their people will be discouraged to use illegal drugs and abuse alcoholic beverages. The employees will somehow avoid or even stop abusing those substances because it may result to losing their job. If the person loves his job so much, he will think twice and do whatever he can to stop his addiction.

Second, the companies can avoid employing people who are addicted to to it. This way they can be sure that no drug problem may arise in the future within the workplace and that they can expect a lesser or no drug related incidence at all. If a company is sure that no one is addicted to drugs or alcohol in the workplace, peace and security likewise can be assured.

Third, this allows the employers to help the person renew or change himself. If left undiscovered, the problem will surely worsen and there is a high possibility that the addict or drunkard employee may do something violent in the office. It is so much better to identify the problem earlier and then find possible solutions. For example, an employee who has been found out to be using illegal drugs can be referred to a rehabilitation center or a worker with alcohol addiction can be referred to a psychologist and other proper organizations.

Fourth, through drug testing, the workers have peace of mind. They feel at ease anywhere in the company's premises. They are not afraid or what in going to the office every day. They will not think of bringing something to protect themselves whenever drug or alcohol related instances occur inside the office. They will then perform better in their tasks. Without doubt, a safe workplace can inspire the employees to always perform their best and help the company achieve its goals.

Fifth, this procedure can help the company maintain its reputation in the market. The people will never be afraid to go to their offices or shops to check out their latest offers or services. The consumers feel assured that the products or services are of their best at all times because the people working on them are of healthy mind.

This method has undergone changes over the years. All of which were to make the process more convenient and faster to conduct. Before, this drug testing are only done in laboratories. But now, it can be conducted anywhere as long as important requirements are met.

This goes to say that it can even be done inside the workplace. Most importantly, knowing and getting the result is speedy. In addition, this can already be utilized to detect whether you are taking steroids (especially for athletes who will compete internationally), you have HIV, or you are using marijuana.

Compared to urine drug testing, there is no personal or privacy issue attached. A person is just required to open his mouth and let his tongue out so the medical personnel can get a saliva sample. This is so much better than urine tests.

You don’t need to go to the comfort room, wait until you feel peeing or for the call of nature to come, prepare yourself to catch some sample in the cup, and clean yourself after; this is truly a hassle process. But thanks to saliva drug test, you can say goodbye to urine testing.

Typically, the saliva samples are checked using the technique called Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay or ELISA, for short. Basically, it involves using the antibodies to analyze the sample for any color change that is associated with any substances like drugs or alcohol.

Fast Analysis: In just a matter of hours, sometimes minutes, it can be identified whether the person is using illegal substances or not. Also, it can still detect the use up to four days. So if the person took an illegal drug say 3 days before the test, the process can still detect the substance.

Increased Accuracy: If the saliva sampling analysis says that the employees were abusing drugs or alcohol, their samples are then referred to another procedure in order to verify the result – this is called Mass Spectrometry. This way, the level of accuracy is never compromised and is therefore, always trustworthy.

Higher Degree of Relevancy: It is important to note that whatever substances our blood has, they can also be found in our saliva. In other words, our blood and saliva have a high degree of correlation or relevancy to each other. In saliva sampling, what is measured is the parent compound and not just the by-product substances.

No Cheating: With urine sampling, there is a possibility that the person can do something to replace his urine or what because he will be asked to go the comfort room and take the sample himself. And, of course, putting hidden cameras inside is a violation of the person’s privacy so it is not allowed. With saliva sampling method, however, the person will just sit down in front of the medical personnel. So there is no trace of doubt. In addition, the saliva can be checked if it matches the DNA of the client or not. So there is no escape really.

Saliva sampling or saliva drug testing is still the best way to test employees for illegal drug or alcohol abuse. It places high respect to one’s privacy, is easy to collect, offers fast turnaround, and gives the most accurate results.