FAQ's

No, if the drug testing program is carried out fairly and within the agreed policy guidelines, it is not an invasion of an employee’s privacy. In fact it is widely encouraged by government bodies and trade unions in order to protect the welfare of employees and the safety of others.

Yes, the data is kept confidential at all times. The donor name will not be shown on any documentation that accompanies the specimen to the laboratory. Employers and Medical Review Officers (MRO) keep the test results confidential and records cannot be released without the consent of the donor.

A Medical Review Officer is a qualified physician who reviews and interprets positive results. He/She would assess a positive result within the context of a donor’s medical history and prescribed medication.

Chain of custody is a monitoring process to prevent tampering with the sample or the results. Chain of custody begins with collection of the sample, and continues right through the final reporting of test results to clients. Sealing of sample containers, transport and control of samples, receipt of samples by the laboratory and supervision of laboratory tests remain under strict discipline throughout the chain of custody. It is designed to link, beyond doubt, the specimen to the donor and the result to the specimen.

A comprehensive list of drugs that can be tested for are detailed in the What we Test for section. This can be tailored to the needs of the company, running as many as are deemed necessary.

We use cut off limits for both alcohol and drug testing. A positive result is a concentration greater than the cut off rate for that particular substance. A positive result means that the drug has been used but will not indicate frequency of use or when it was used last.

Cut off levels refer to the minimum concentration of drug in a sample, which can be deemed positive. In Randox Testing Services, we follow the guidelines and cut off values set out by the European Workplace Drug Testing Society.

Randox Testing Services uses its own revolutionary Biochip Array Technology that has been scientifically proven to produce highly accurate results. The Drugs of Abuse arrays have been specifically designed to improve accuracy and reduce the amount of false positives. This means a higher degree of agreement with the confirmatory system in comparison to other testing systems, which may be used by competitor laboratories. When Biochip Array Technology is combined with confirmatory methods the collective result is virtually 100% accurate.

At the collection site, the donor gives the sample and the collector will seal the sample in a tamper evident bag, complete the necessary documentation, and prepare the specimen for shipment to the laboratory.

No, however, they may be asked to remove any bulky or unnecessary outer garments. This is due to the possibility of concealed items that may be used to tamper with the sample. Also, if the collector suspects tampering with the sample, the employee may be asked to empty his/her pockets.

This should be addressed in your drug and alcohol testing policy. Some companies will commence disciplinary procedures but this varies according to individual policies.

The collection site should have a private room, a toilet and sink and for the duration of the project, access to the area should be restricted.

Sometimes, for various reasons, the donor may not be able to give a sample at the time of being asked. In this case, fluids would be given and the donor should be able to provide a sample within a few hours. Only a small amount of urine is required, about 50 millilitres. If they are still unwilling or unable to do so, an “unable to provide” form would be completed and retained by the employer. The MRO may investigate whether this was due to a medical reason e.g. poor kidney function. An alternative test may be offered e.g. oral fluid and if this sample is refused then the employee will be determined as “unwilling” to give a sample as opposed to “unable”. The Workplace Drug/Alcohol Testing policy will contain procedures to follow in this instance.

Introducing a testing policy in the workplace is not expensive and the company will actually gain in terms of greater productivity, less accidents and subsequent litigation.

This depends on various factors including the drug being tested for, the amount of drug taken and the individual’s metabolic rate. In the case of cannabis, the detection window can be up to several weeks.

The detection window is generally shorter than that of urine and will depend on the person's metabolism, the type and amount of drug taken etc. Usually oral fluid testing will show any drug use in the previous few days.

No, the employee should continue eating and drinking normally and keep taking any prescribed medication. Prescription medicine will not interfere with the tests as long as it has been declared to the collector.

Yes, the employee has the right to challenge a positive result and ask for a retest. They will not be permitted to give another sample but the retest will be carried out on the secondary portion of the original sample, which the laboratory still holds. Depending on the organisation, the employee may have to cover the cost of the retest.