MediNat Australia

Good article by Fay Calderone Partner DIBBSBARKER Fast Fact Alcohol and other drugs cost Australian workplaces an estimated $6bn per year in lost productivity. Recent research has estimated that 2.5 million days are lost annually due to alcohol and other drug use. Persons Conducting Business or Undertaking (PCBUs) have an onerous duty to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers and others in their workplace under WHS laws. This includes the provision of a safe work environment, information, instruction, training and supervision in relation to WHS that extends to being under the influence of drugs or alcohol at work. Workers also have an obligation under WHS laws to protect their own health safety and that of others in the workplace. As such, showing up to work under the influence may be a breach by the worker of their WHS obligations as it is of the PCBU that failed to prevent it. It is also considered "serious miscond

As many are aware accuracy of Saliva Drug Testing and the detection of THC is frequently questioned. There is substantial research in the last 15 years that indicates that Saliva Drug Testing for THC is quite unstable, even with monumental advances in technology in recent years it still remains so. I don't want to create a "how to buy good marijuana article" however some practical facts need to be covered as well as the technical information.   Below is a typical product insert for a saliva test device showing the types of THC molecules tested. This tests detects both the Parent THC and the metabolite THC-COOH   Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) (Parent) 50 ng/mL (-)-11-nor-Δ 9 -THC-9-COOH 12 ng/mL 11-Hydroxy-Δ 9 -THC 300 ng/mL 11-nor-Δ 8 -THC-9-COOH 12 ng/mL The emphasis is on detection of the Parent Drug at 50ng as that is deposited in the mouth via when marijuana is smoked.

Oil and gas next on drug search hit list 19 January, 2015 Ben Hagemann Drug screening is set to continue at critical transit points around West Australia as Operation Redwater gears up for a third phase of operation targeting oil and gas workers. Last week the second phase of Redwater focussed on searching airports servicing BHP and Rio Tinto mines, including the Newman Airport, but the third phase will look further afield to deal with other regional airports servicing the oil and gas industry. In conjunction with the airport searches, heavy haulage drivers were also targeted for drug screening in an operational component of Redwater, called Operation Phaeton. Operation Redwater co-ordinator Commander Murray Smalpage said the traffic stoppage took place at a strategically chosen location near Wubinn, where most traffic to and from the Pilbara must pass. “Woven is a jump off point for road trains, so that was the subject of quite intensive traffic operations, targetin

Drug tests at Immigration a waste of time and money Noel Towell 14 January 2015 Reporter for The Canberra Times The Immigration Department is wasting its time and taxpayers' money on forced drug tests for thousands of public servants, according to a leading workplace drug and alcohol expert. The tests will be no deterrent, enormously expensive and might even make matters worse by forcing drug users in the department on to harder substances, according to AOD workplace testing's Dr Donna Bull. But the department says that it is no ordinary workplace and that illicit drug use by government officials represents an unacceptable corruption risk to the nation's border protection system. Dr Bull, an independent consultant, says up to 5000 public servants would have to be tested each year to give the department a realistic chance of catching bureaucrats who turn up to work high. But Dr Bull says a mandatory testing regime in the British Army resulted in soldi

Saliva Drug Testing Saliva Tests for drugs is the least invasive and fastest way to test for current impairment from drugs in the workplace. As with any rapid test method including urine drug testing, a Non Negative result needs to be confirmed by a laboratory i n order to obtain a confirmed analytical result. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) or Liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) are the preferred confirmatory methods. Here are some Questions and Answers regarding issues some have with Saliva Testing: Q: I had a candidate submit a negative test when the person appears to be under the influence of drugs or something else. A: There are a number of possible explanations:       1. I assume the candidate was tested for Alcohol       2. If the Saliva Test did not have a Benzodiazepine test strip this could be the cause.       3. There are very few substances or adulterants that can provide a false negative test            with saliva. MediNat will s