Page 66 - OHS, July/August 2021

CORPORATE PROFILE
OraSure Technologies
www.chooseintercept.com
Contact Information
Tel: 800-869-3538
Additional Information
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 nine 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 number one recognized brand in laboratory-based oral fluid drug testing with over 100 million tests performed since 2000.
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.
Just approved for FDA Emergency Use Authorization, InteliswabTM is the first and only COVID-19 antigen test with an integrated nasal swab. InteliSwab is highly accurate and requires minimal hands on time, so you may quickly identify infected people to protect the rest of your workforce.
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 2020, thousands of businesses have been forced to close their doors, at least temporarily, causing literally millions of Americans to become unemployed. Now employers are starting to reopen their businesses 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. According to the CDC, 13 percent of Americans reported starting or increasing substance use as a way of coping with the COVID-19 pandemic, and overdoses have spiked since the onset of the pandemic. Additionally, the use of opioids and amphetamines has increased over 215 percent. Now is not the time to consider suspending a drug and alcohol testing program. It is 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. Other benefits of oral fluid collection include:
• Enhanced Flexibility. Oral fluid collections provide flexibility to address workplace drug and alcohol testing needs by permitting the use of either urine, breath or oral fluid, whichever specimen is best suited to the situation.
• Enhanced Versatility. Oral fluid collections can occur in a variety of locations and eliminate many collection issues found with urine.
• Decreased Invalid Tests. Oral fluid collections, by nature, are observed, which lessens the risks of substitution or adulteration.
• Saves Time. Oral fluid collections likely occur at or near the place of work, reducing the time needed away from work.
• Versatility in Detection. Oral fluid testing permits “more interpretive insight into recent drug [and alcohol] use” due to drug and alcohol detection immediately upon absorption into the body.
• Science.“The scientific basis for the use of oral fluid as an alternative specimen for drug [and alcohol] testing has now been broadly established... [as an] alternative specimen to be used in federal programs with the same level of confidence that has been applied to the use of urine.”1
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 with minimal contact keeping both the collector and the employee apart during the collection process.
REFERENCE
1. https://store.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/d7/priv/sma12-4668.pdf Circle 63 on card.
62 Occupational Health & Safety | JULY/AUGUST 2021
www.ohsonline.com