In some industries, it has become mandatory to conduct drug tests for certain job applicants and employees. Because 80% of on-job incidents are instigated by drug abuse, it’s understood why strict actions are required. Saliva drug screening at workplaces can help make the environment safer and more conducive.
There are different types of drug tests available such as:
- Breath tests for alcohol abuse detection
- Blood tests for drugs and alcohol
- Urine drug test cup kits for multiple drugs
- Mouth swab drug test
- Hair drug testing
All these tests have their own sets of negatives and positive characteristics. Blood tests can be highly accurate but are more time consuming and expensive to conduct.
On the contrary, urine drug test cup kits are less costly and give accurate results. Mouth swab drug test is a commo
n drug testing method that gives authentic results in lesser time and cost.
If you’re planning to conduct an employee drug test program, panel oral swab drug test can make an ideal option. To help you understand what exactly this test entails, we have worked on a detailed guide. Let’s see what this drug testing method has for you.
What Is a Mouth Swab Drug Test?
The first thing you should know is the mouth swab drug test & saliva drug screening test. Also known as a saliva test or oral fluid test, it collects saliva specimens from the inside of the individual’s mouth. The sample is then used for the detection of illegal drugs used in the past few days.
The oral fluid test can detect the following illicit substances:
- Alcohol
- Marijuana
- Cocaine
- Amphetamines
- Methamphetamines
This is an ideal drug testing method to use for employee drug testing program. They are less expensive and more efficient. You can easily administer them as saliva is easy to collect and test. Moreover, the risk of tampering with the results is low.
Mouth swab drug tests are the simplest to conduct and are least invasive in nature. You can conduct the test on-site and have quick and efficient results.
Drug Detection Window of Mouth Swab Drug Test
Mouth swab drug tests offer a sufficient drug detection window. You can find traces of some of the mentioned illicit drugs for up to even five days. Here is a breakdown of drug detection:
- Marijuana for 24 to 72 hours
- Opioids for 24 to 36 hours
- Amphetamines for 1 to 5 days
- Cocaine for 1 to 10 days
- Methamphetamine for 1 to 4 days
- Alcohol 1 to 5 days
This makes oral fluid testing a highly efficient method of drug testing and alcohol abuse detection.
Which Industries Are Applicable for Mouth Swab Drug Tests?
As per the National Safety Council’s research, one in every 13 working adults suffers from alcohol use disorder. 13% of men and women indulge in binge drinking once a week. This showcases that almost all industries are at risk of drug-related on-job incidents.
Mouth swab drug tests can help curtail this risk if a regular employee drug testing program is conducted. Also, pre-employment drug testing can decrease the exposure of the work environment to such practices. Professions with long working hours, such as midwifery and nursing, are frequently reported for regular alcohol consumption.
Other fields such as the hospitality industry, agriculture sector, manufacturing, construction, and even emergency working areas such as police and fire personnel are at increased risk. This makes panel oral swab drug tests beneficial for all these industries.
What Time Should You Conduct an Oral Fluid Test?
To conduct a mouth swab drug test, you can choose different times. For instance, a pre-employment test is pretty common. You can ask the applicant whom you have offered the job to take the test. This can be made a part of the recruitment process so that no discrimination is made against any applicant.
Another good time to conduct an employee drug testing program is right before the promotion. This will ensure that only healthy individuals are given a higher position. Also, it will discourage employees from indulging in such practices that can hinder their growth.
You can also organize a random drug testing at the workplace and make it a part of regular practice. This will not appear offensive against any particular worker.
However, you need to be highly careful in planning this test, so the procedure’s authenticity and fairness remain intact.
For-cause drug tests are also common for workplaces. If you find the actions and behavior suspicious, you can ask them to submit an oral drug test. Continued tardiness, poor performance, regular absences can indicate that the person is under drug influence.
You can ask them to take urine drug test cup kits to detect drug traces. Panel oral swab drug test can give results for illicit substances and alcohol abuse detection.
Having an employee drug testing program after an injury or accident is also justified. It ensures that the employee is not abusing any prescription drug and is healthy to return to work.
What Does Law Say about Employee Drug Testing Program?
The state laws differ everywhere. Some states allow limited employee drug testing and have certain times when the screening can be conducted.
A few states outline how exactly the testing should be conducted. Others have a list of provisions telling when and under what circumstances employers can ask the employees to submit mouth swab drug test results. So, you have to look up for your state laws to see what restrictions you need to abide by.
As for the federal laws, there are legislations such as the Drug-free Workplace Act of 1988. These laws are designed specifically for drug abuse at the workplace. Under these legislations, employers have the right to take action against drug use. They can work on written policy and execute it to have a safe and drug-free environment.
What Makes Saliva Drug Screening an Efficient Drug Testing Option?
All the compounds in your blood are present in your saliva. So, if you undergo the Saliva Drug Screening, it measures the compounds present in the blood. The psychoactive element of the drug ultimately makes it to your saliva and gets detected.
The higher the level of psychoactive element detected, the more the drug’s level is present in the body. Saliva, biologically, can detect the impairment quite effectively. As compared to urine drug test cup kits, mouth swab drug tests, and Saliva Drug Screening are more efficient. This is because they can measure the parent compound. On the other hand, urine drug test measures metabolites that don’t correspond with the impairment levels.
If you buy an oral swab drug test, they can detect the drug used within the first few hours. Urine drug test cup kits can overlook this time window. This makes Saliva Drug Screening, mouth swab drug tests ideal for the cases in which there is reasonable suspicion. Also, it can give you appropriate results for post-accident drug influence testing.
Another thing that makes panel oral swab drug tests an efficient option is that the samples can be collected anywhere. You don’t need to have a laboratory setting to collect and analyze the result. Also, it doesn’t involve any clinical procedure like drawing blood or using needles. Yet, it gives highly accurate results.
Benefits of Mouth Swab Drug Tests
Here are some benefits of using oral swabs for drug testing:
- Easy Sample Collection
As mentioned, you don’t need any clinical setting or set up a private place for sample collection. It can be collected anywhere at any time without any hassle. However, you have to administer the sample collection carefully. Though there is less to no room for sample tampering, taking precautions is always beneficial.
The sample collection procedure is very simple. All you need to do is have the individual place collection pad between their cheek and gum for two minutes. Once the pad is saturated, place it in a vial and snap off the handle. The vial is sealed and ready for analysis.
- Fast Results
If you are looking for a dependable and quick drug testing method, panel oral swab drug test is the option. You can have the results, negative ones especially, within 24 hours. Non-negative results can take up to 72 hours to give you a detailed report once they undergo confirmatory tests.
- Range of Drug Detection
As mentioned in previous sections, oral swabs can detect the most commonly used drug and up to the ingestion window of 5 days. They can give you results for amphetamine, methamphetamine, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, cocaine, cannabinoid, ethyl alcohol, opiates, and other drugs.
Where to Buy Oral Swab Drug Test?
You can easily buy an oral swab drug test online. Ovus Medical offers authentic multi-panel drug testing kits for easy use. If you’re planning to conduct an employee drug testing program for example alcohol swab test you can buy an oral swab drug test in bulk at a reasonable price.
You can also find us online by putting a search query of “oral swabs near me.” For more details and information, you can send us a message here.
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