Frequently Asked Questions

Why should I drug test in my workplace?
As an employer, you have an obligation to ensure a safe working environment for your employees. If your workforce is drug and alcohol free, you will also have much greater productivity.
What is the most suitable breathalyser for workplace testing?
Any of the FC Series breathalysers are suitable for workplace testing. The most popular one in NZ is the Lifeloc FC10 breathalyser. Call us on 0800 700 777 with your testing requirements and we can recommend the best option for you.
I am having trouble reading results on the drug cups, what should I do?
Call us on 0800 700 777. We can talk you through the process step by step. We also provide free onsite workplace training, and free training materials.
What type of workplace drug testing should I implement?
Depending on your industry, you will have different requirements for your employee drug testing programme. We would recommend the following:

Random Drug Testing – this involves testing all of your employees on a random day, or a randomly selected group of employees.

Pre-Employment Drug Testing – this involves testing all potential employees before employment. This greatly decreased the chances of hiring someone who is currently a drug or alcohol user.

Reasonable Cause Drug Testing – this involves testing employees who you have reasonable suspicion of being unfit for duties. This protects the safety of your workplace.

Post-Incident Drug Testing – this involves testing employees who have been involved in an accident or near-miss to help determine if drug or alcohol use was a factor.

Return to Work Drug Testing – this involves testing employees before they can return to work after a positive test or as periodical follow-up to ensure that they have stopped abusing drugs or alcohol.

Pre-Promotion Drug Testing – this involves testing employees before promoting them to ensure that you are not promoting someone who may have an alcohol or drug problem.

Should I be testing for synthetic cannabis in my workplace?
At Sober Check, we highly recommend you do this. You are obligated to provide a safe working environment for all staff, and if any of your staff use synthetic cannabis you need to know about it, as they may be a safety risk. Testing for synthetic cannabis also sends a message to your workforce that you will not tolerate drug taking of any sort.
How much do these breathalysers cost?
We are New Zealand’s largest and most trusted supplier of certified drug and alcohol testing equipment. This makes us your ‘one-stop-shop’ for all your workplace drug & alcohol testing requirements. We like to make it easy for you!
How will the lower drink drive limit affect my workplace?
The lower alcohol limit will affect most workplaces. You may need to revise your policy and adjust your workplace alcohol limit if it is not already zero.
Is there a standard around drug and alcohol testing in workplace?
Yes, for urine drug testing this is AS/NZS 4308:2008. The alcohol breath testing device standard is AS 3547:2000. These can be downloaded from the Standards New Zealand (www.standards.co.nz). At this stage, New Zealand does not have a standard for saliva drug testing.
What is the difference between saliva and urine testing?
The main difference is drug detection times. Urine drug testing picks up a much longer window of detection. This is especially useful for pre-employment. Urine drug testing is the most accurate and cost effective way to ensure you have a safe working environment.

Saliva testing shows a much shorter detection time on drugs, particularly cannabis. Depending on drug usage, saliva may only detect drug use within the past 2-4 hours. Saliva drug testing is most useful for picking up recent use and impairment.

What are adulterants?
Adulterants are additives that are used to try to cheat a drug test if there are drugs in a person’s system. If the temperature strip on the urine drug cup is read, along with the adulterant panel before results are interpreted, you can almost always pick up attempted adulteration.
What is the temperature strip on the urine drug cup for?
The temperature strip ensures that the urine is at body temperature, and has been provided by your specified donor. This is the first thing you should check after you have taken a urine sample.
What are cut-off levels?
The cut-off level defines the test as a positive (non-negative) or a negative. In New Zealand, the cut-off drug and alcohol levels are determined by AS/NZS4308:2008 Standard. Concentrations above the cut-off level are positive and concentrations below the level are negative. The cut-off level ensures there is no risk of a false positive from accidental contamination or exposure to drugs.

Cocaine – 300ug/L
Benzodiazepines – 200ug/L
Opiates – 300ug/L
Cannabis – 50ug/L
Amphetamine – 300ug/L
Methamphetamine – 300ug/L

What is the drink drive limit in NZ?
The drink drive limit for those under 20 years of age is zero. For those over 20 years the limit is 250 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath.
What drugs do the urine drug cups test for?
All urine drug cups that are verified to Appendix B of AS/NZS 4308:2008 test for the following 6 drugs:

Cannabis – 50ng/ml
Opiates – 300ng/ml
Amphetamine – 300ng/ml
Methamphetamine – 300ng/ml
Benzodiazepines – 200ng/ml
Cocaine – 300ng/ml