Drug testing in-house can deliver significant costs savings compared with using an external provider, often well over 80%.
That’s because you remove travel charges, call out fees and hourly service rates. Plus you only pay for the consumables and trained staff time.
For example, imagine a company with 150 staff carrying out monthly random drug and alcohol testing of 10% of the workforce (that’s 15 tests per month). Typical costs might look like this:
| Urine Drug Testing Costs | Outsourced | In-House |
| Drug testing | 15 x $80 = $1,200 | 15 x $15 = $225 |
| Alcohol testing | 15 x $5 = $75 | 15 x $0.50 = $7.50 |
| Total Cost | $1,275 | $232.50 |
By conducting testing in-house, this example workplace saves $1,042.50 per month, or about $12,510 per year. And that doesn’t include savings from avoiding call-out fees or travel charges.
Other Advantages of In-House Testing
- Speed
If your workplace is remote or busy, waiting for an external tester can mean hours of downtime. In-house testing means you can respond to incidents immediately and minimise disruptions. - Flexibility
With having staff trained to drug test, you can schedule testing on demand, across multiple days and sites. This is ideal for teams that aren’t all in the one place at the same time.
How to Bring Drug Testing In-House
There are three main steps to setting up in-house drug testing:
Step 1 – Sort out your Drug Testing Policy
Your drug testing policy is the foundation and defines:
- What type of testing you’ll use (urine? saliva/oral fluid? other?)
- What and how often testing will be carried out
- How results will be recorded and acted on
- The disciplinary process for failed tests
A clear and well communicated policy keeps expectations fair and consistent.
Step 2 – Get Testers Qualified
People doing the testing need the appropriate training and qualifications, especially if test results may ever be challenged. Testing also builds confidence and ensures consistency with testers learning what they need to do to run a compliant drug test.
We offer training courses for both urine and oral fluid testing that can be delivered in person, via Google Meet or online. For more information, visit our Workplace Drug & Alcohol Training page.
Step 3 – Implement In-house Drug Testing
Once policy and training are in place, implementation typically involves:
- Communicating the testing policy and approach to staff
- Allowing a brief period for familiarisation
- Commence formal testing once everyone understands the process
Ready to get Started
Contact the Sober Check team to talk through in-house drug testing, we can guide you through each step and provide ongoing support as you begin drug testing. To get started, call 0800 700 777, email support@sobercheck.co.nz or complete the form below.