InScience offers a comprehensive product offering spanning urine and  oral fluid drug testing, alcohol breath testing and more recently other point of care tests such as Covid RAT with full technical, training and service support. Inscience provide expert advice we also support workplaces doing their own testing or can recomend service providers of both oral and urine drug testing – from supply, advice and support to writing policy, educating staff and implementing best practice, through to delivery and compliance and helping business owners and managers to deal with tricky or sensitive situations.

Sometimes it is hard to know what the best drug testing method for your business is and many times a mixed model of test methods (urine and saliva) are wise. Which drug testing specimen/process Urine or Oral Fluid (saliva) suits your health and safety and business objectives? How can the test be conducted? Do it yourself using your own trained employees? An independent service provider? Or would a combination of both be the best option? What drugs should you be testing for? When is the best time to test? We can help.

Drug testing in a workplace can be a very effective opportunity for a workplace to recognise the risks drug and alcohol impairment pose. It is a proven cost effective strategy which provides multiple benefits for your business and your workers, health and safety. It is also an essential part of compliance under health and safety legislation. The best place to start is with a solid policy and procedure in place and regularly updated.

Oral (saliva) v urine drug testing

What are the benefits of each these of  2 specimen test methods? Can I apply both and if so when to use which one?  Oral Fluid (Saliva) is faster and a less invasive way to test for drugs. A test for  Cannabis using urine specimen can show a positive result for days or weeks after use and this doesnt indicate if they are fit or unfit for work. Here are some things to consider.

Why would you consider inclusion of oral fluid as a drug test specimen for your workplace policy?

• Targets recent use
• Indicates fitness to work (drugs only)
• High cost of employee disciplinaries, stand down or dismissal when urine drug test identifies use but cant tell me if the worker is affected at the time of testing
• Employee and union  strong demand for a fairer test of likely impairment – acute impairment
• Considered less invasive- less privacy issues
• ++++Less potential for cheating
• Rapid collection, rapid results
• No requirement for bathroom facility
• Medicinal Cannabis , CBD or THC less potential for issue
• Oral fluid portable analyser systems take away any subjectivity of results reading
• Oniste analyser produces results not subject to conflict of interest when performed by a fellow employee

The AS/NZS4760:2019 Joint New Zealand Australian Standards for Oral Fluid Testing is specifically directed at the detection and quantitation of drugs in oral fluid recently used – and drug cutoff concentrations levels are tailored to target the acute impairment period of each individual drug class.

NZ Employment law and court decsions have determined that the accuracy and sensitivity of urine and oral fluid drug testing devices verified compliant to their relevant Standards  are “largely equivalent” whilst adressing diffrent aims . Urine drug test targets use and Oral fluid targets recent use.  Currently Australian and New Zealand workplaces can and do utilise AS/NZS4760:2019 to guide their oral fluid drug testing programme

Why would you include urine as a drug test specimen in your workplace drug testing policy?

Urine as a specimen for drug testing is the most common sample used as a testing medium for drugs in New Zealand workplaces largely due to the following:

• There has been a joint Australian New Zealand Standard since 2008
• Lots of choices in brands that are verified compliant to Standards
• Lower cost per test than oral fluid
• Two confirmatory testing laboratories accessible in New Zealand
• Preferred for pre-employment drug testing as it identifies users of drugs
• Well understood and established use in New Zealand

Urine drug testing is a well-established practice in NZ’s workplaces as a part of their  Drug and Alcohol Policy, with many independent providers of testing services available throughout New Zealand. InScience proudly supplies and supports many of these service providers ansd also workplaces conducting their own testing. Urine drug testing is well understood, mainstream, reasonably economical and well served by Australian New Zealand Standards AS/NZS4308:2008 and accredited laboratory confirmatory testing services, ESR and CHL. A revision of this 2008 Standard is underway and due for publication mid 2023

InScience supply and support workplaces and individuals wanting a DIY approach to drug testing. InScience can provide training (NZQA Unit Standards 25458&25511, 32327 &32328 plus refreshers, see training on this website), numerous product options for AS/NZS4308:2008 and AS/NZS4760:2019 compliant products for onsite testing, drug and alcohol policy and procedures, along with expert ongoing advice.

Testing Supplies

InScience sell and support test products for urine, oral fluid, saliva, breath alcohol, drug residue and surface contamination testing, and infectious diseases point of care tests(RAT).

Urine is the most common sample used as a testing medium for drugs in New Zealand workplaces for reasons already explained

Urine and oral fluid based drug testing can and do  work well together alongside a well-constructed workplace drug and alcohol policy. a suggested option may look like this:

There are numerous compliant urine testing products on the New Zealand market that comply with AS/NZS4308:2008 – always ask for the Verification Certificate which demonstrates compliance of your chosen test. InScience supply all currently compliant test devices with exclusive distribution of one of Australias leading urine drug tests, Innoscreen, used by major testing services and Laboratories. Inscience are proudly exclusive distributor of the worlds most accurate, sensitive and preferred Saliva drug test. Preferred by Police and workplaces for drugged driving and workplace testing for recent use and likely impairment the Draeger “impairment checks” DT5000 and DC3000 are both verified compliant to AS/NZS4760:2019

See our Range of Products

Delivery and Compliance

Drug testing is a well-established practice in today’s workplaces as a part of a Drug and Alcohol Policy, with many independent providers of testing services available throughout New Zealand. InScience proudly supplies and supports many of these service providers.

DIY Drug Testing

InScience supply and support workplaces and individuals with a DIY approach to drug testing. InScience can provide training (NZQA Unit Standards), AS/NZS4308:2008 and AS/NZS4760:2019 compliant products for onsite testing, drug and alcohol policy and procedures, third pa rty auditsalong with expert ongoing support and advice.

Policy and Procedure

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InScience can write your workplace drug and alcohol policy, advising on the best type of test for your business or workplace, and help every step of the way through to a successful roll out.

There are many options for you to consider in developing and implementing policy:

• What sample – urine or oral fluid?
• How to test – service provider or DIY or a combination?
• What drugs to test for?
• When to test?
• Who to test?
• All of these factors influence your choice of drug testing sample and drug test device.

InScience can assist in developing and writing a drug and alcohol policy, or with the reviewing and adapting of your existing policy and procedures to include oral fluid testing or any other requirement made essential with recent legislative changes or case law.