Best Practices includes information and suggestions on various aspects of substance abuse testing for State of Georgia employers.

• Developing a Drug Free Workplace Policy




• Notification of Testing




• Reasonable suspicion




• On-Site Collection Procedures

FAQs answers questions that are frequently asked about drug testing and the State's testing program.

• Who should I drug test?

• What drugs can I have in our test panel?

• What do the letters/abbreviations stand for in the Result column?

• What do the results mean?

• Why would a test be rejected or cancelled?

• Should I send anyone who has a Cancelled or Rejected test result for a retest?

• Should I send someone with a Negative Dilute result for a retest?

• What constitutes a Refusal?

• What does Adulterated mean?

• What does Substituted mean?

Who should I drug test?

Pre-employmenttesting of applicants selected for positions that:

1. are regulated by the US Department of Transportation and its operating authorities
2. require certification under O.C.G.A. 35-8 (POST) and whose incumbents regularly perform high-risk work, and
3. have been identified by each appointing authority and approved by SPA as performing duties that have the potential for causing significant harm to self or others.


Random testing of employees in positions that:


1. are regulated by the US Department of Transportation and its operating authorities
2. require certification under O.C.G.A. 35-8 (POST) and whose incumbents regularly perform high-risk work, and
3. have been identified by each appointing authority and approved by SPA as performing duties that have the potential for causing significant harm to self or others


Reasonable Suspicion testing of any employee who meets the criteria as defined in SPB rule 21.

Post-accident testing of any employee who meets the criteria in SPB 21, and of DOT regulated employees per the US DOT regulations.

Return-to-Duty testing of any employee who returns to work after testing positive on a drug or alcohol test, or after disclosing a substance problem.

Follow-up testing of any DOT regulated employee who returns to work after testing positive on a drug or alcohol test, or after disclosing a substance problem.

What drugs are included on the State of Georgia's testing panel?

State agencies and other entities have a choice of test panels. They can test for 5, 6, 7, or 11 drugs. The basic five substances are Amphetamines/Methamphetamines, Cocaine, Marijuana, Opiates and PCP. Other panels add barbiturates, benzodiazepines, synthetic opiates, and other categories of pain killers. US DOT regulated employees can only be tested for the Federal Five plus two and alcohol. On Reasonable Suspicion, Post-accident, Return-to-Duty and Follow-up tests, appointing authorities may request that other drugs be added to the test panel.

What do the letters/abbreviations stand for in the Result column?

PeopleSoft	Drug Testing Database				Result
"N"	Neg				Negative
"P"	Pos				Positive
"F"	Refuse				Refusal
"R"	Reject				Rejected
"C"	Canc				Canceled
"P"	NCP				Non-contact positive
"N"	Neg Dilute				Negative Dilute

What do the results mean?

Negative – none of drugs for which the lab tested were present in an amount over the cutoff level
Positive – one or more of the drugs for which the lab tested were found in amounts exceeding the cutoff level and the MRO has verified the result
Refusal – the applicant/donor failed to give an acceptable specimen for testing
Rejected – the lab rejected the specimen because of a fatal flaw (insufficient amount, temperature out of range, etc.)
Cancelled - MRO cancels the test because something procedural was wrong (Chain of Custody broken)
Non-Contact-Positive - one or more of the drugs for which the lab tested were found in amounts exceeding the cutoff level but the MRO has been unable to reach the donor
Negative Dilute – none of drugs for which the lab tested were present in an amount over the cutoff level, but the specimen was more dilute than normal. Could be the person drinks a lot of water, could be they’re trying to flush drugs from their system.

Why would a test be rejected or cancelled?

There are numerous reasons why this might happen, but most fall into one of three categories. First, the specimen isn't testable when it arrives at the lab because there is not sufficient quantity to test. Second, the chain of custody is not intact - tamper proof seal broken, no collector's signature. Third, the test is "Invalid" because the validity tests (creatinine level, specific gravity) are outside the normal range.

Should I send anyone who has a cancelled or rejected test result for a retest?

The Medical Review Officer generally makes a recommendation based on the reason the test has been cancelled or rejected. It is up to each appointing authority to make that decision. When it is a pre-employment test and you need a negative result to hire, the person must retest.

Should I send someone with a Positive Dilute result for a retest?

That’s up to you. No substances were found, so it is a negative. Most State entities retest applicants and don’t retest employees.

faq's

What constitutes a Refusal?

• Expressly declining to submit to drug testing;

• Failure to appear at the testing location by the specified time;

• Engaging in conduct that clearly obstructs the testing process;

• Failure to provide adequate urine for testing (45 ml.) without an acceptable medical reason;

• Leaving the testing location before providing an adequate sample in the allotted time (up to 3 hours if necessary);

• The testing laboratory and/or the MRO determines that a specimen has been adulterated or substituted;

What does Adulterated mean?

It means a foreign substance has been added to the urine specimen.

What does Substituted mean?

It means the content of the specimen cup is not human urine.

 

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