Modern Mining October 2019

ConCourt ruling boosts the use of saliva testing

W ith the recent ConCourt ruling of legalising cannabis for personal usage, it is essential for employers to find the right drug testing equipment that can safeguard the lives of their employees whilst at work. According to ALCO- Safe, the ruling has resulted in its Oratect saliva drug test growing in popularity as it allows employers to accurately determine whether an employee is under the influence of the drug when he or she arrives at work. There are a variety of drug testing kits available including both urine and saliva tests and each has its pros and cons. According to Rhys Evans, MD at ALCO-Safe, which specialises in drug and alcohol testing solutions, companies need to go back to basics and look at creating well-structured policies on drug use. Employees, he says, need to be educated on the risks of consumption whilst at work and regular drug testing needs to be implemented. He adds that with the recent legalisation of ‘dagga’, companies need to be able to test their employees to find out if they are under the influence rather than just detecting if they have ever consumed the substance before. Evans says that ALCO-Safe focuses on delivering alcohol and drug testing solutions as well as services such as training and calibration. The company embarks on a journey with its clients from formulating policies through to providing support at CCMA cases once the necessary equipment and procedures are in place. This is particularly important in the heavy-duty industries such as mining and construction as it assists in not only reducing the risk of accidents but also improves productivity. Response rates are slower when drugs such as cannabis are consumed, and reflexes are dulled. It is therefore vital for companies to implement regular drug testing. Traditionally, conducting urine tests was common in the work- place. These test for the metabolite of the drug which in many cases can show up in urine for a number of days after the drug was last used. As a result, it is a trusted and accurate method for verifying the extended use of any drug. “However, there is a big movement, due to the recent change

The Oratect disposable saliva test.

in laws surrounding cannabis use, to use a saliva test,” Evans explains “Saliva tests detect the primary or psychoactive com-

pound and therefore have much shorter detection windows. This is better when trying to confirm if an employee is under the influence of cannabis at that point in time. “With saliva tests a drug can be detected after consumption within as short a period as one day ago. Consequently, the usage of saliva tests has increased when compared to urine testing attrib- uted to the fact that saliva tests have the main benefit of a short detection window thus increasing the accuracy of drug use results.” The Oratect saliva drug test from ALCO-Safe delivers a fast, accurate ‘pass or fail’ result within five minutes. Employers can now test for marijuana usage quickly and easily and detect if an employee has used cannabis in the last three to eight hours. The Oratect saliva drug test is a stick that can also detect a number of other drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamines, amphetamines, opiates and benzodiazepines. “With the increase of marijuana use due to its recent endorse- ment, it is more important than ever to engage with a company that understands the unique challenges to specific industries – i.e. a company that understands that cannabis usage is not necessarily the ‘problem’ but rather if employees are under the influence. They should also be involved in assisting organisations to develop their policies, ensuring they are fair and reasonable, whilst assisting in educating the workforce,” Evans concludes. 

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October 2019  MODERN MINING  41