For businesses and companies who are required to have their employees’ drug tested, the tests can become a drain on company time and resources very quickly. Here we pose the differences between on-site and clinical tests; uncomplicated procedures performed in two very different locations. Depending on the type of business you run, you may see a benefit in both scenarios; it’s ultimately up to you to decide which testing method suits your infrastructure best.
On-Site
Drug testing performed on-site involves a certified lab technician being present in your facility. You can choose for this to happen as often or as infrequent as works for your schedule. There are numerous benefits to having your employees be tested in their home office.
Less Avoidance
Clinics are very busy places, especially during the workday; it’s a common occurrence for specimens to get swapped or patients to substitute a clean sample when there is an opportunity to do so. You are more likely to get factual results when a trained technician is able to oversee the time your employee spends gathering the sample required.
Less On-the-Job Travel
Unless your business is conveniently located within walking distance to a clinic, your employees will be traveling during business hours; this not only infringes upon payroll but it also puts your employees at risk for transportation injuries. If your employees are on the clock while driving from point A to point B, your company is liable for anything that happens to them.
On-site drug testing allows your employees to stay on the clock while they are tested. This saves everyone time, money, and reduces risk to both the employee and the employer.
Level of Care
Clinical lab workers are generally not trained to handle specimens with forensic-level care. What does this mean to you, you might ask? Drug testing can bring up some unfortunate information about the people that work for you; if there was a need to use the test results as evidence in a court of law, you – the employer – would want to know that the specimen was not tampered with or altered in any way.
Bulk Testing
In a clinical setting, patients are tested by appointment; this means that each individual is blocked out for more time than is required for the sample collection. It can take a clinic twice or three times as long to test one individual compared to on-site testing. An on-site technician is specifically trained to perform the same collection or test on every individual, thereby saving time and effort for your employees. On-site tests only take four to six minutes (on average) to collect samples for.
Less Exposure to Pathogens
As we’re all aware, a trip to the clinic or hospital is a risk – especially for those of us who are immunocompromised. Even for employees with strong immune systems, exposure to the common cold could put them out of work for a day or two. On-site testing ensures that your employees are not exposed to illnesses that they would not have been exposed to outside their personal life.
Benefits Employer and Employee
As you can see, there are many benefits for on-site drug testing: time savings, risk, and avoidance reduction. It’s important to make the right decision for your business as a whole, however. Keep your employees in mind as you consider all of your options for drug testing your staff members.