Page 44 - OHS, July/August 2020

CORPORATE PROFILES
EMPLOYEE DRUG AND ALCOHOL TESTING IN A COVID WORLD — HOW ORAL FLUID CAN HELP
COVID-19 has forced all of us to change many aspects of our lives, especially our workplaces. Since March 1, 2020, thousands of businesses have been forced to close their doors, at least temporarily, causing literally millions of Americans to become unemployed. Now, months later, employers are anxious to reopen their busi- nesses and those who lost jobs are eager to find employment and get back to work.
Studies show that during a national crisis, substance abuse increases dramatically. Now is not the time to consider suspending a drug and alcohol testing program; it’s actually time to recommit to pre-employment and random testing, and consider alternative testing methods that make it possible to continue testing regardless of obstacles such as social distancing requirements.
Using oral fluid
The inherent ease of a typical oral fluid collection makes it possible for a collection to take place virtually anywhere. There is no need to use a secured restroom,
toilet stall or shared equipment like a breathalyzer; an oral fluid collection can take place in an office, outdoors at a remote construction site or virtually anywhere else.
A typical oral fluid collection is employee-driven, meaning the employee physically conducts the collection themselves, without the collector ever touching the collection articles and containers. This significantly reduces the possibility of any exposure to the COVID-19 virus via a donor’s saliva because the collector never comes in contact with the donor’s sample. The sample can also be collected using all recommended safety precautions, keeping both the collector and the employee 6 feet apart during the collection process.
OraSure Technologies, Inc.
OraSure Technologies, the pioneers of oral fluid drug testing, offers testing products for drugs of abuse and alcohol.
The Intercept®Oral Fluid Drug Test is the first and only FDA-cleared oral fluid laboratory based drug test for the 9 most requested drugs of abuse. Intercept is simple to use, with an easy collection procedure and a collection time of only five minutes. Intercept is the #1 recognized brand in laboratory-based oral fluid drug testing with over 100 million tests performed since 2000. The specimen is collected on-site, but is then sent to a laboratory for testing. Companies get the convenience and immediacy of oral fluid testing, but also solid and defensible laboratory results. You don’t sacrifice the accuracy and reliability of your current testing program, you simply eliminate the need to collect urine.
In addition, Q.E.D.®, our point-of-care alcohol test offers quantitative ethanol detection with a high correlation to blood levels and a testing range of 0-145 mg/ dL. Q.E.D. is CLIA-waived and DOT-approved.
For additional information, please feel free to contact us.
Circle 56 on card.
OraSure Technologies
www.chooseintercept.com
Tel: 1-800-869-3538
38 Occupational Health & Safety | JULY/AUGUST 2020 www.ohsonline.com