Drug & Alcohol Testing Important for Health
At Test Smartly Labs, we offer a wide variety of drug and alcohol testing. For your convenience, we can come to you at your organization, government agency, workplace, or other work-site with our on-site and mobile testing services. Even if you need testing done for personal health reasons, we can provide the services you need.
Drug & Alcohol Testing Services
Our drug testing can range from a from a basic 5-Panel of drugs to nearly an unlimited combination of drug metabolites. We routinely do 10-Panel and 12-Panel test, customizing any number of panels to fit your company's needs. Overall, this tailored drug testing program can improve your company's morale, reduce accidents, decrease absenteeism and lower liability.
Alcohol testing is essential for those situations where drinking is not appropriate. Coming to work intoxicated can be a major safety concern. Our services include breath, blood, urine and hair alcohol testing.
Why Drug & Alcohol Testing Is Essential
It is wise to implement a drug testing policy in your workplace. Published research shows that workers are less likely to use drugs if a workplace has a drug testing policy in place. Test Smartly Labs can help provide expertise, guidance and support in designing a workplace drug and alcohol testing policy and partnering with your organization to conduct the testing for you and your company.
In order to develop a drug-free workplace and ensure the safety and productivity of employers and employees, drug and alcohol testing is essential. Here are just a few of the benefits:
- Creates a safer workplace: It is a fact that employees using drugs pose a threat to others in the workplace. This is particularly true for safety-sensitive tasks, including dealing with risky chemicals, running heavy machinery, etc. Accidents can happen if your employee is using drugs.
- Boosts staff morale: Having a drug screening policy within your workplace shows how dedicated you are to your employees by offering a safe and secure working environment. It can enhance the morale among staff, which is a very positive thing for any company. Reductions have also been shown in employee theft by curbing the likelihood of drug abusers in the workplace.
- Deters drug use: The possibility of conducting random tests is definitely a deterrent, and many users will think twice before using drugs if they care about their careers or jobs.
- Reduces absenteeism and improves productivity: Studies have shown that drug testing in the workplace can reduce absenteeism, improve wellness and thus improve productivity and profitability.
- Offers convenient on-site drug testing: We perform drug tests at the workplace so companies can avoid the inconvenience and cost of sending employees off-site.
- Saves time: Employees won’t need to take valuable time from their work schedule for testing. They can work longer and be more productive and won’t need to be paid for idle work time or take personal time to go off-site for screening.
- Saves money: Businesses can minimize the loss of work productivity and its related profitability impact, which link to off-site drug and alcohol screening. You also won’t need to reimburse employees for transportation expenses for sending them to an off-site location.
- Accommodates bulk testing: You can screen everyone in your company simultaneously. This ability keeps the entire procedure short and sweet.
- Is cleaner and easier: The tests done by Test Smartly Labs can use Instant Screen Cups — the drug screen is self-contained within the cup, which includes a temperature strip and clear results. This feature means the test administrators don’t have to deal with loose urine.
According to a 2015 report published by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA),
“Combined data from 2008 to 2012 indicate that an annual average of 8.7% of full-time workers aged 18 to 64 used alcohol heavily in the past month, 8.6% used illicit drugs in the past month, and 9.5% were dependent on or abused alcohol or illicit drugs in the past year.”
A National Household Survey on Drug Abuse reported,
“73% percent of all current drug users aged 18 and older (8.3 million adults) were employed in 1997. This includes 6.7 million full-time workers and 1.6 million part-time workers.”
We have experience testing in a multitude of industries and purposes, including but not limited to:
- Small & Medium Sized Businesses
- Industries
- Transportation
- Manufacturing
- Service Industry
- Medical
- Judicial Testing
- Court Ordered Testing
As a verified collection site, Test Smartly Labs meets all security requirements and the specifications required for us to collect for this test.
The Benefits of Onsite Drug & Alcohol Testing
On-site drug testing is becoming very popular and is the most efficient approach to perform drug tests at the workplace. Companies will avoid the inconvenience and cost of sending employees off-site. There are other benefits too:
Saves Time: Employees won’t need to take valuable time from their work schedule for testing; they can work longer, be more productive, and won’t need to be paid for idle work time or take personal time to go off-site for screening.
Saves Money: Businesses will minimize the loss of work productivity and its related profitability impact that can be linked with off-site drug and alcohol screening. You also won’t need to reimburse employees for transportation expenses for sending them to an off-site location.
Bulk Testing: You have the ability to screen everyone in your company at the same time. This keeps the entire procedure short and sweet.
Cleaner and Easier: The tests done by Test Smartly Labs can use the Instant Screen Cups; the drug screen is self-contained within the cup, which includes a temperature strip as well as clear results. This means the test administrations don’t have to deal with loose urine.
The Risks of Not Drug Testing
Alternatively, if your company chooses not to drug test regularly, it could result in the following:
- Increased accidents: Consistent drug use can alter an individual's mind, causing them to lose focus and become a danger to themselves or others.
- Decreased productivity: In addition to facilitating injuries and accidents, an individual's mind on drugs can be cloudy and lack concentration. This altered state leads to poor work ethic and overall poor productivity. Drugs may even decrease an employee's work attendance altogether.
- Higher employee healthcare costs: With increased accidents on the job, employee healthcare costs can skyrocket.
- Inability to refer them for services: In the end, if you cannot identify which of your employees is struggling, this can close the door for these individuals to seek help.
Our Comprehensive Testing Methodologies
At Test Smartly Labs, we offer comprehensive testing methodologies and understand the importance and need for each method. Ultimately, the drug screening method you choose depends entirely on the potential outcome, what you are looking for and what you intend to do with the information after testing. All methods have drawbacks and benefits, and we can help you choose the best drug screening method for your specific purpose.
Urine Drug Testing
This is the most popular drug testing method. It is very flexible and can be done on- or off-site, observed or unobserved, or lab-based or instant. Urine drug testing can also test for a large variety of drugs. Lab-based testing is the only federally accepted option and is admissible in a court of law. The typical detection window for a majority of drugs for urine testing is 48-72 hours. However, some drug metabolites can be detected in urine up to nearly one month.
Common drugs that urine tests can identify include: marijuana, MDA, MDMA, cocaine, barbiturates, amphetamines, methamphetamines, benzodiazepines and opiates — including codeine, morphine, oxycodone, oxymorphone, hydromorphone, hydrocodone and chemicals indicative of heroin use, such as 6-acetyl morphine. Alcohol and nicotine can also be tested in urine.
Saliva/Oral Fluid Drug Testing
Saliva — the second most utilized drug screening process — is collected through a mouth swab test and is either sent to a lab or tested instantly. No eating or drinking should take place for 10-15 minutes before the test. This method is difficult to cheat and observed directly by the collector and is best used to detect recent drug usage. The typical time frame is roughly one hour to two days after use, the shortest window of detection compared to urine, hair, and nail testing.
Common drugs tested include: marijuana, cocaine, barbiturates, ecstasy, amphetamines, methamphetamines, benzodiazepines, opiates — such as codeine, hydromorphone, morphine, oxymorphone, hydrocodone, oxycodone and chemicals indicative of heroin — PCP (phencyclidine), nicotine and alcohol.
Hair Follicle Drug Testing
Hair follicle drug testing is the best method for identifying long-term drug use while reducing the risk of substitution or adulteration. An administrator cuts about 100-150 strands of hair and sends them to a lab for testing for drug use within the previous three months. Drug use within the 15 days prior to testing will not be detected.
The typical time frame does not include 15 days prior to testing, as the hair follicle is the slowest to metabolize drugs and must be allowed time to gather the hair specimen. However, because hair grows slowly, drug metabolites can be detected up to 90 days from usage.
Common drugs tested include: marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, methamphetamines, opiates — such as codeine, morphine, oxycodone, oxymorphone, hydromorphone, hydrocodone and 6- acetyl morphine — PCP (phencyclidine), alcohol, ecstasy and nicotine.
Nail (Fingernail or Toenail) Drug Testing
This is a good method for identifying long-term drug usage that extends beyond the standard hair follicle’s time frame, which detects metabolites up to 90 days. There is no chance of adulteration, as the specimen is professionally collected. This is often used for custody, legal proceedings or other circumstances where long-term use needs to be identified. The typical time frame is two to eight months from testing due to the time required for the nail to grow enough to be harvested.
Common drugs tested include: marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, methamphetamines, opiates — such as codeine, morphine, oxycodone, oxymorphone, hydromorphone, hydrocodone and chemicals indicative of heroin use — PCP (phencyclidine), ecstasy, alcohol and nicotine.
Blood Drug Testing
Blood testing is the most invasive method, but also the method with the least risk for adulteration or substitution. While also the most expensive testing option, this testing method is typically used only in circumstances where active use and consumption need to be determined. Usually only used by law enforcement or if large sums of money are at stake in a legal scenario. The typical time frame is extremely short, identified within the first few minutes of consumption and can last up to six hours.
The Benefits of Using Test Smartly Labs
Although most employers understand the importance of drug testing in the workplace, many try to save money and cut corners by conducting drug screenings with the ‘Do-It-Yourself’ method to control the drug usage and impairment problems.
Say No to DIY
Unfortunately, most employers don’t realize that ‘Instant Drug Screens’ or ‘Dip Sticks’ do not yield conclusive drug test results and are not nearly as accurate as lab-based drug testing. If disciplinary measures are taken based on inconclusive instant drug screens, the employer will be a legal risk from the employee.
Liability
Some companies have strict policies regarding drug use, while others find it a personal matter. But the implications of being liable to the risk of lawsuits are definitive in both cases. Suppose a company does not consistently apply drug screening practices to new and existing workers, and someone by accident injures himself or other employees due to impairment caused by drug or alcohol use. In that case, the company may be challenged and sued for negligence in a court of law.
Legal Actions
Legal actions would likely result in lawsuits and costly court cases where a prosecutor or attorney’s core questions will include: Why you didn’t drug test your employees, What is your company’s drug policy, or if you use a professional drug testing company or DIY. Major liabilities risks exist for DIY drug screening and no drug testing in the workplace. These issues should be tackled very carefully and taken seriously.
Certified Collectors
As certified collectors, Test Smartly Labs can handle a wide range of testing needs, from drugs and alcohol to DNA and STD testing. We are equipped to offer fast, consistent, and accurate results and meet industry-specific standards. Our certified lab collectors can handle: DOT-compliant drug & alcohol testing, athletic drug, and alcohol testing, court-admissible tests, and military and government testing.
SAMHSA Certified
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is the agency with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and was established to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America’s communities. Labs performing employee drug testing look to SAMHSA for best practices for accurate and efficient drug testing. Drug tests required by the federal government or DOT need to take place with SAMHSA certified labs. At Test Smartly Labs, we also partner with the top Toxicology labs in the nation that are SAMHSA certified.
Our Customers
Test Smartly Labs provide you with legitimate proof that a person was correctly tested for drugs and alcohol. Our test results are accurate and defensible in court. Here are just some of our customers:
- Businesses: We partner with companies around the country to keep you and your employees safe by testing in line with each organization’s workplace policy on drugs and alcohol.
- Schools: Adolescents and young adults have a high risk of getting STDs; Test Smartly Labs can help test and screen for these infections.
- Individuals: Don’t want the hassle of calling a doctor and paying co-pays and deductibles to come straight to us for hormone testing, allergy testing, health and fitness testing, and testing for certain diseases and conditions.
- Social Services: We know drug and alcohol testing plays a critical role in several social services situations. If you’re a caseworker, social worker, or agency worker who needs a reliable drug and alcohol testing partner, Test Smartly Labs can help. Our offices are located in the community for your convenience, and we can collect samples in our professional lab or travel to you or your client.
- Agencies (law enforcement, judicial, government, and courts): We partner with these agencies to handle sensitive samples and confidential information.
Who We Serve
Test Smartly Labs is your one-stop solution for all drug and alcohol, DNA, and lab work. We work with businesses, individuals, caseworkers, families, educators, and more.
- Testing Centers: We have five Greater Kansas City area locations: Kansas City Downtown/Westport, Kansas City North, Independence, and Overland Park.
- Collection Partners: We also serve clients throughout the United States through our 5,000+ collection partners.
- On-site Testing: Test Smartly Labs provides extremely convenient on-site testing for companies and mobile testing. If an emergency or crisis hits, we can reach you in no time.
- DOT Testing: We’re up-to-speed on all DOT regulations and collection protocols, and we follow a strict chain of custody procedures for all tests we offer.
We promise to deliver affordable testing to everybody.
At Test Smartly Labs, we want what is best for you and your company. We are committed to walking alongside our clients throughout the testing process and providing affordable, accessible and trustworthy healthcare. Our staff is highly trained to handle all your testing needs.
We are proud to serve you any day of the week. If you would like more information on our available services and locations, please contact us today.