News

New standard released for oral fluid (saliva) workplace drug testing in AUS & NZ – UPDATED

10 March, 2020

Standards Australia and Standards New Zealand have come out with new guidelines regarding the collection of samples for an oral fluid drug test. Designated as AS/NZS 4760:2019, the standard outlines several changes to the requirements for accredited screening for signs of drug abuse found in saliva specimens.

Read on to learn more about the new oral fluid standard. Find out how it is going to affect SafeWork Laboratories’ drug screening service for its clients.

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Can An Employee Refuse A Drug Test?

28 November, 2019

So your employee has refused a drug test. You are probably thinking — is this even possible?

You’ve seen the figures: employee drug and alcohol use costs Australian businesses $6 billion per year in lost productivity.

As an employer, you have every reason to perform drug and alcohol testing. This is true not just in high-risk industries such as construction, mining, transportation and aviation. But now your employee is refusing to take the drug test.

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How Drug and Alcohol Training Benefits Your Workplace

09 September, 2019

The strength of your company drug and alcohol policy lies in its proper application. Effective enforcement requires training, and lack of proper training is just as harmful as inconsistency.

You can have the most well-written drug and alcohol policy guidelines, but if your managers and supervisors lack the proper training to effectively implement it, it’s just as bad as having no policy at all.

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Does Synthetic Urine Help an Employee Evade Drug Detection?

08 August, 2019

With the growing number of illicit drug users in the country, the methods for evasion are continually evolving. As long as there are drug users, there are people who are actively trying to cheat the system of drug testing, from machines that clean urine or switching out positive urine with clean urine.

Although not as prevalent in Australia as in the United States, the latest threat to drug tests is synthetic urine. When did this become available to drug users and can drug testing companies detect it?

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Calli – The New Form of Cocaine That’s Being Marketed As A Lifestyle Choice

24 July, 2019

Always finding new ways to make money in the very lucrative drug trade, gangs have launched a new type of cocaine – the calli drug.

As if this isn’t worrying enough, a new segment of the population is being targeted by drug gangs to help sell these drugs. And they are not who you think.

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Drug use in Australia: Australians spend $9.3 billion on drugs each year

09 July, 2019

It appears Australians are not slowing down their spending on illicit drugs. Annual wastewater reports highlight just how much Australians spent in the last year on the purchase of illicit drugs.

This is the sixth report of its kind and it covers 58 wastewater treatment plants across Australia, including regional sites and cities. The wastewater is tested for 13 substances, and the results are very concerning.

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Cocaine Capital Sydney

14 June, 2019

Recent drug operations that include arrests and seizures in Sydney highlights once again the residents’ appetite for cocaine, as detailed in an article by Lucy Cormack for The Sydney Morning Herald.

The authorities apprehended 55 people for either buying or selling the drug on the streets of Sydney’s affluent eastern suburbs. According to law enforcement, criminal cases involving cocaine are up 7.7 percent.

In a report from the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, results point to a widening base of cocaine users in the country.

Researchers say the reason could be the drug’s growing acceptability.

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Crime Prevention Committee: Drug Addiction is a Medical Condition

29 May, 2019

Changing the way you look at people with substance abuse disorders is a huge step forward to effectively address methamphetamine use in the country.

In an article by Esther Tan for The Sydney Morning Herald, the inquiry into crystal meth use in the country takes the special commission to Lismore. Here, approximately 130 per 100,000 people were charged with meth offences last year.

Lismore councillor, Mr. Eddie Lloyd believes a change in perspective could help everyone understand the popularity of the drug. For one, he suggests that the public and politicians need to change how we regard those with addiction problems.

“Let’s not go to war,” Mr. Lloyd says.

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