Each employer in Australia has a responsibility to provide a healthy and safe working environment for their employees. The practice of detection and management of the risks associated with the misuse of drugs and alcohol is a priority.
With our HLTPAT005 Collect Specimens for Drugs of Abuse Testing course, you can learn how to effectively carry out such tests. This program applies to those who are working in collection centres, hospitals and in other healthcare environments and workplaces where drugs of abuse testing may take place.
In Australia, the standard in employee testing is urine drug screening. This is due to its accuracy and its relative cost. Throughout this course, you will gain a broad understanding of how to work with specific samples for urinary drug screening, as well as for oral drug screening. This is a nationally accredited unit of competency which ensures that each participant meets the Standards for an accredited collector, for the collection of non-blood specimens including saliva, urine and breathalyser to the Australian Standards.
Drug-testing programs used in Australia
These include:
- Random testing
- Post-accident testing
- Pre-employment testing
- Targeted testing
When it comes to performing the above tests, urinalysis is the least expensive of all drug test types and it is also one of the most researched drug test technologies. When urinalysis is performed properly, it can accurately detect drug use that has occurred up to three days before the test. There are some disadvantages to this type of testing, however, as it may be unable to detect very recent drug use (2-4 hours before testing), and urine samples can be substituted relatively easily.
When it comes to oral fluid testing, is a less invasive form of testing in comparison to urinalysis. This type of examination carries a much shorter window of detection than urinalysis and it is less easily adulterated or substituted. The main disadvantage of this type of testing is that it can be quite expensive, and it currently has a limited ability to detect cannabis use.
Training options
If you wish to learn more about the importance of drugs of abuse testing within your current role, please don’t hesitate to contact us and we can provide you with more information about this course.