Author: Kiarna Suckling

People can adulterate a sample in a variety of ways and as a tester, it pays to be aware of what substances and methods are used in adulteration!

• Water – Water is a very common adulterant used to dilute the level of drugs present in a urine sample. Dilution can be done by scooping or pouring water into the drug cup, or simply drinking excessive amounts of water before providing a sample.
• Bleach – Bleach can be added to the sample to interfere with the detection of drugs and cause false results. This is often smuggled in under the fingernails, but can be stopped by asking the donor to thoroughly wash their hands with warm soapy water before providing a sample.
• Salt – This can be added to make a sample more concentrated in the hope of covering any presence of drugs.
• Creatinine – All cups verified to the standard will test for creatinine levels. If you see a low level of creatinine, the sample is likely to have been diluted. A high level of creatinine can mean synthetic creatinine has been added to the sample to mask the drugs present.
• Synthetic Urine – This can be used instead of the donor providing a sample. Synthetic urine can be hard to detect once it has been provided as a sample, but is often easily found on the donor prior to a test.

This is only a few of the most common methods of adulteration – there is plenty more!

Bleach, Drano powder, and pool cleaning chemicals are all oxidants and can be used to adulterate a drug test.

After you have asked the person to:

• remove shoes and outer clothing, and
• pat themselves down

… get them to wash their hands as well with soap and water, taking care that they wash under the fingernails.

This will prevent any chemicals being smuggled in and dropped into the drug test.

Following the provisions of the Privacy Act generally means that you get rid of information as soon as you no longer need it. However, this is overruled by other forms of legislation which require records to be kept for longer.

Regarding drug testing, there is nothing explicitly spelt out in any standard or legislation.

Here’s how it’s handled for other forms of testing:

• The National Pathology Accreditation Advisory Council (Australia) recommends 7 years, for laboratory reports
• The Health (Retention of Health Informaion) Regulations 1996 specifies that healthcare providers keep patient records for a minimum of 10 years from when they last provided services to that patient
• The Health and Safety at Work 2016 Act has a section regarding storage of health monitoring records. This specifies at least 30 years after the record is made, if the testing is non-asbestos-related. If it involves testing for asbestos-related diseases, 40 years.

It’s possible that if you conduct drug testing, you’d be considered a provider under the Health (Retention of Health Information) Regulations 1996.

4 Definition of provider
…(k) any other person who provides, or holds himself or herself or itself out as providing, services to the public or to any section of the public, whether or not any charge is made for those services.

How long you should keep drug test results ultimately comes down to what you say in your company policy.
To be safe, you should keep them a minimum of 10 years. If you’re carrying out health monitoring also, keep the drug test results for 30 – 40 years!

If you carry out random drug testing on 5% of your team each month (60% yearly), you will:

1. catch out people who are impaired at work
2. create a culture of awareness where people don’t come to work impaired

The second reason is the biggest benefit of drug testing.

It’s similar to police carrying out roadside alcohol testing.
The possibility that there might be a checkpoint on the road tonight encourages people to plan ahead so they don’t drive drunk.

The possibility that there might be a random drug test tomorrow encourages people to avoid taking drugs which will impair them at work.

Like police checkpoints, drug testing needs to be:

• Regular (there’s a possibility that testing will be happening)
• Unpredictable (but I can’t predict with certainty whether they’ll be there, best to play it safe)
• Consequential (if I get caught out, I could lose my job… it’s not worth it)
• Ongoing (I’ve got away with it so far, but testing keeps happening and I know I’ll get caught out at some point)

The Medix pro-split drug cup and the Sure Step drug cup are very identical. They look the same, are used in the same way, cost the same, and are made by the same people.

The only difference is the Medix cup has one less test strip than the Sure Step. This means the Medix is more likely to run a consistent test, as there is more urine available per strip!

Watch this short video below to learn more:

Random drug testing is an important preventive tool in a workplace drug and alcohol programme.  Rather than targeting individuals based on suspicion alone, truly random testing involves selecting employees without notice, giving everyone an equal chance of selection and helping maintain a fair and transparent process.  A genuine random approach makes it difficult for employees to predict or avoid testing.  It can also act as a deterrent to substance use that may compromise safety, productivity and compliance.

The main purpose of random drug testing is to support workplace safety and wellbeing. By testing at unpredictable times, you reinforce the message that everyone is responsible for staying fit for work.  In safety-sensitive industries or roles where impairment could have serious consequences, a well-designed random testing programme can contribute to risk management and help identify issues early, before they escalate.

It’s important that your random testing process is genuinely random.  It can’t be targeted at particular individuals because of suspicion.  If you do have concerns about a team member’s behaviour or performance, it’s best practice to address it directly.  In many workplaces, this looks like a reasonable cause test (where there is specific evidence of potential impairment) followed by a supportive conversation and, if needed, a confirmatory test.

Random testing can also highlight problems you weren’t aware of, giving you an opportunity to provide support, refer staff to assistance programmes or strengthen your overall health and safety strategy.  When integrated into a broader drug and alcohol policies, together with education, having clear procedures and respectful communication, random testing works alongside coaching and leadership to keep teams healthy and safe.

Best Practice Tips

• Use a true random selection method (such as software or number draws) to show that every eligible employee has an equal chance of being selected.
• Ensure your random programme is part of a documented workplace drug & alcohol policy that outlines how selection is done and why it’s being used.
• Random testing is most appropriate for roles where impairment could affect safety, health or compliance outcomes.  Ensure these are clearly documented in your policy.
• Remember that testing itself should be handled considerately and employers should offer training to those conducting tests being consistent and up-to-date with current testing policies and procedures. 

If you’re looking for a simple way to pick staff at random, we offer a random selection tool to help you generate unbiased lists for your drug testing programme.  

Sober Check offers a number of Oral Fluid and Urine Drug Testing Training courses so your team can feel confident, compliant and respectful throughout the process.

Key Benefits of a Random Testing Programme

• Helps deter substance use before it becomes a safety risk
• Supports workplace safety and compliance
• Encourages accountability across the team
• Can reveal issues early and support targeted wellbeing responses