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Saliva Drug Testing - Awareness Issues

Saliva Drug Testing Saliva Tests for drugs is the least invasive and fastest way to test for current impairment from drugs in the workplace. As with any rapid test method including urine drug testing, a Non Negative result needs to be confirmed by a laboratory i n order to obtain a confirmed analytical result. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) or Liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) are the preferred confirmatory methods. Here are some Questions and Answers regarding issues some have with Saliva Testing: Q: I had a candidate submit a negative test when the person appears to be under the influence of drugs or something else. A: There are a number of possible explanations:       1. I assume the candidate was tested for Alcohol       2. If the Saliva Test did not have a Benzodiazepine test strip this could be the cause.       3. There are very few substances or adulterants that can provide a false negative test            with saliva. MediNat will s

Mining Drug Raids in WA

Mining drug raids continue in WA 4 December, 2014 Vicky Validakis FMG’s Cloudbreak mine has been the target of a police drug raid as the industry-wide crackdown continues. FIFO workers were searched as they disembarked from planes landing at the site "This is part of a community and industry-wide crackdown, to reduce the incidents of illicit drugs/substance possession," WA Police said. "This is a community issue and the community can expect to see more of these police actions in the near future." So far the searches have resulted in one summons for possessing prescription drugs without a prescription. Another worker is set to undergo further testing after returning a positive result for THC, a compound found in cannabis. Australian Manufacturing Workers Union secretary Steve McCartney said the searches over-the-top as workers are already subject to drug and alcohol testing. "To bully and harass people at the airport is o

No Fault Drug Tests

An article written by Georgina Bartter   - Daily Mail see article here Introduces the issue! 'Way too good, the best I've had in years': How users rated Ecstasy pills known as 'The Speaker' before the drug caused the death of teenager Georgina Bartter at a dance party  Georgina Bartter, 19, died from a suspected ecstasy overdose  She collapsed at one of the summer season's first dance parties, Harbourlife, in Sydney An MP has warned Australia's summer of music festivals could prove 'lethal' for young people. The Greens David Shoebridge says police sniffer dogs don't stop drug trade Mr Shoebridge, a critic of sniffer dogs, says their use may lead to deaths because people swallow drugs to avoid detection. He proposes no fault drug tests at festivals measure strength of ecstasy and other drugs But NSW Police drug squad boss Tony Cooke says sniffer dogs reduce drug taking Superintendent Cooke has slammed 'money hung

Changes to Australian Standard AS4308:2008

The updated AS4308-2008 Standard has made fundamental changes in sample collection and Laboratory confirmation testing. Here are some of the key points: Summary: The standard requires collectors to have completed a nationally accredited course in drug screen collection and/or onsite testing. What is evident is that clients performing their own collections will need to have their staff sign off if they wish to collect samples and/or do onsite tests in accordance with Section 2 of the new standard. The standard and NATA also requires laboratories to state unequivocally on the report the status of collections and their compliance to Section 2 Where a collection is not performed by a registered WDP collector the following will appear on the WDP report. ‘This sample has not been collected by a registered WDP collector. Cannot be verified compliant with AS4308:2008Section 2’. The New Collection Procedure The changes to collection are to do with the mandatory splitting of samp

NATA - Workplace Drug Testing and Saliva/Oral Fluid Devices

NATA have finally released information regarding Saliva Drug Testing device standards under AS/NZS4760-2006. We have known for a substantial amount of time that NATA had withdrawn the accreditation for onsite Oral Fluid/Saliva drug testing devices, because we were attempting to get our devices Certified for AS4760 compliance. They have just made an official announcement to that effect: Having conducted several assessments, it has become apparent that there are a number of significant issues with Section 3 of AS 4760:2006 which remain unable to be resolved. This is despite NATA seeking independent feedback to clarify these issues from key professional bodies including the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (RCPA), the Australasian Association of Clinical Biochemists (AACB) and from our counterpart organisation in New Zealand, International Accreditation New Zealand (IANZ). Accordingly, NATA has not granted accreditation to any facility for AS 4760, Section 3 and a decisi

Union successful in fight to ban urine drug tests

Vicky Validakis Australian Mining Fair Work Commission supports the use of Saliva Drug Tests Testing the urine of workers in order to detect drug and alcohol use has been banned by the Fair Work Commission which found employees at Endeavour Energy are to be tested using saliva swabs instead. Last week the Fair Work Commission refused Endeavour Energy's bid to urine test its 2635 employees. The commission labelled the use of urine tests “unjust and unreasonable” in a case which could have wider implications for a range of industries, including mining. Endeavour Energy launched the latest legal action in October last year, with the matter heard in the Fair Work Commission in December. The company was attempting to vary the original decision, which required the use of oral testing, with urine based testing. The Electrical Trades Union said the decision confirmed two previous court rulings that found the use of urine test was unfair because it could detect drug u

Union to mount challenge against drug tests for miners

By Babs McHugh ABC Rural Miners preference Saliva Drug Tests over Urine Drug Tests A union plans to mount a legal challenge against urine testing for drugs on mine sites. The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union has called it intrusive and degrading and wants urine tests replaced with saliva tests. Secretary of the West Australian branch, Steve McCartney, says saliva tests are used by police and the judiciary and should be implemented on mine sites. "Now we've got the technology that proves saliva testing works, why would we have our members subjected the indignity of having to do a urine test?" he said. "Not only a urine test, but a urine test in company (of others) or under camera surveillance. "So there's an issue for our members that's there somebody from the company standing around while you're urinating in front of them, while there's a test that proves the same fitness for work by simply putting a stick

Influx of deadly synthetic drugs sets off alarm bells

Influx of deadly synthetic drugs sets off alarm bells Rory Callinan, Investigative journalist, The Age Academics and law enforcement officers have expressed growing alarm about the tide of synthetic drugs that have claimed five lives, including three students, in 14 months. Amid a proliferation of drugs designed by sophisticated overseas laboratories to mimic LSD, cannabis and methamphetamines, one academic forecasts worse is to come. Law officials also point out the difficulties in outlawing the drugs when laboratories regularly change the chemical composition to avoid bans. The acting chief executive of the Australian Crime Commission, Paul Jevtovic, says: ''The reality is we can't keep up. The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction has found that, since 2011, we are seeing a new drug in this category every week.'' Governments, including Victoria's, have been trying to outlaw the trade by banning any substa