Types of Drug Test Kits: Which is the Best Option for Your Business?

Drug and alcohol use by workers is a leading cause of workplace accidents (cited by the US Department of Labor as the reason in 65% of such incidents).

Accidents and issues at work caused by substance abuse affect more than just the person struggling with drugs or alcohol. In addition to putting others in danger (such as their coworkers, bosses, partners, customers, etc.), there is also a possibility of harming the firm itself.

You need a drug testing program in place to make sure your workplace is safe and accident-free for everyone. In this piece, we’ll take a look at the various workplace drug testing kits available. We’ll talk about which test is ideal for your business.

This article contains information that might potentially save someone’s life.

Substances Checked for in a Drug Screening

Finding out what drugs to look for is an important first step in deciding on the right pre-employment drug screening for your business.

In a typical drug testing kit, you’ll find the following five prohibited or illegal substances:

• AMP : Amphetamines
• COC : Cocaine
• THC : Marijuana
• OPI: Opiates
• PCP: Phencyclidine

These compounds may be detected by a wide variety of drug tests. Urine and saliva screening are among the most popular options since they are both very inexpensive and easy to administer.

Understanding Drug Testing Kits for Urine

There’s more than one kind of drug test that may be performed on urine. The results of the swift urine drug screening could be seen rapidly. This may be purchased in the form of a drug screening cup or a drug test dipstick.

When a positive result is found in a quick urine test, a more thorough drug test is taken. This method is also known as Mass spectrometry. Mass spectrometry is a time-consuming laboratory process, yet it yields very accurate findings.

If the results of the test are negative, further laboratory investigation is often unnecessary. The accuracy of most home drug tests may reach up to 99%.

The vast majority of companies use urine testing for drug detection.

The Function of Saliva Testing

In certain situations, a non-invasive saliva drug – testing kit is employed. There are a few names for these kinds of tests, but they all refer to the same thing: testing the contents of the mouth for drugs. They are available as dip cards. The drug screening process for both saliva dip cards and oral swabs is the same.

A swab or Q-tip will be used to take a sample from within the participant’s cheeks at the site.

In addition to being more expensive than urine testing, saliva tests for drugs have a number of drawbacks. This is why they are used by a small fraction of businesses.

Urine vs. Saliva Drug Screening – Which is Better? 

To detect drug use in the workplace, a saliva test is administered sometimes, but it isn’t as popular as a urine test. Because urine tests will pick up long-term use and saliva tests are best for detecting recent use, an oral fluid test should be used for that purpose.

Long-term drug usage cannot be detected by a saliva test. Urine tests are the best option here due to the greater scope and extended frame of detection they provide for a variety of drugs.

If you can’t decide between two options, go with the gold standard followed within the industry. There is a 90% prevalence rate of urine testing as the preferred method of drug screening in the business world. Saliva-based drug testing are used by just 10% of companies. When it comes to urine drug screens, the most common options are the 5-panel test, which checks for the five most often misused drugs, and the 12-panel test.

How to Choose Drug Test Cups

If you are looking for a drug testing kit, understanding your choices can help you choose the best one. While it is prudent to be well-prepared and have both urine and saliva tests available, you will be fine if you only select one of the two most common types.

Since 2016, DrugTestKitUSA has been a trusted source of drug testing kits, and are available to help business owners establish a drug-free workplace that’s healthy and safe for all employees. Drug policy demands may be met by their extensive selection of alcohol and drug testing kits.

These drug testing kits are reliable, reasonably priced, and simple to use. Feel free to take a look at their drug screening cups when you are ready to proceed with a comprehensive drug testing policy, preferably after speaking with a legal professional.