First, let me be clear that  there are two kinds of oral fluids drug screening: instant, and lab-analyzed. This post is about the lab-analyzed oral fluids drug testing.  If you are an employer who is not drug screening, or is using urine or hair follicle testing, you may want to find out if Oral Fluids is an option, or an addition to your program. Why?

1) It is a brilliant solution for Post-Accident/Probable Cause and Random testing. Oral Fluids testing produces similar results to blood testing. Results will tell you what is in the system right now. It does not take time to … Continue Reading

A few years ago my son thought he wanted to work for Occuscreen, as a salesperson. He works retail and thought it would be a good match. I asked him to imagine that he was sitting in front of an HR manager for a large company and had their ear to discuss background screening. What would he say? His answer: “So… you like hiring criminals?’

So that lead me, with tongue firmly planted  in cheek, to my first reason NOT to run Criminal Background Checks on employees:

1) You like hiring criminals.  Are all people with convictions necessarily bad potential employees? I doubt  … Continue Reading

There are two things I can think of that would help you in preventing dilute specimen drug screen results:

1) Give the applicant instructions. Before you send them off to the lab, provide them with specific written instructions, such as: Please refrain from drinking large quantities of liquid, including water before your test. You could even warn them that a dilute result may be considered a fail. 

At Occuscreen we make a form for our clients that request it that includes the instructions, directions to the collection site, what they should take with them, etc. This can be helpful in preventing all … Continue Reading

At some point, if you are drug screening your applicants or employees, you are likely to come across a Dilute-Positive or Dilute-Negative drug screen.  The first time is usually a surprise and you won’t know how to handle it. Let me suggest that you prepare in advance.

So what is a dilute result? If you are doing urine drug screening, a dilute result means there was too much water in the urine to confirm the result. Why was there too much water? Well, it could be a number of reasons. The applicant drank a lot of water because they are very … Continue Reading

There are a couple of different kinds of databases in the employment screening world. My last blog was on the National Database, and the pros and cons of using it. But many employers ask for a Federal Database. Half of them are using the word federal to mean national, which is completely understandable. But there is a separate database called a Federal Court Database. So what’s the difference?

… Continue Reading

Let’s face it, if the national criminal database checks were comprehensive and up-to-date, those of us in the screening industry would be dancing.  The databases are fast and inexpensive, but unfortunately… just not ok as a stand-alone screen. Why? Here are some questions you may want to consider.

1) A national criminal database is by nature a repository. It only includes records that have been deposited. Are all criminal records from all citizens deposited? (No.) Do you know when they were last updated? Have expunged records been removed? Are open warrants and misdemeanors deposited? (not necessarily).

2) The databases use name and … Continue Reading

A Social Security Trace and a Social Security Verification are similar, but not the same thing. Only an employer can contact the Social Security Administraction and verify the social security number of an employee.

A Social Security Trace can be run by your employment screening vendor before a background check for another reason than verification. 

Well… criminals lie. Over 40% of applications have misinformation, whether intentional or not. The Social Security Trace can pull the addresses of the applicant, so that you can run County Court Record Checks in all the counties of residence. (Generally for the last 7 years.) Applicants with convictions often ‘forget’ to … Continue Reading

In general, a thorough criminal background screen should include the following:

1) Social Security Trace – Using the name, address, date of birth, and Social Security Number supplied by your applicant on the Disclosure and Release Form, the Social Security Trace helps you verify the accuracy of the information on the Disclosure and Release form and identify potential fraud. … Continue Reading

There are 3 common ways to test for drugs used in employment screening, all with their own benefits and drawbacks.

1) Urine Drug Screening: Probably the most common, urine is a simple, effective and inexpensive way to test for the use of legal and illegal drugs. The applicant is generally sent to a clinic or lab collection site to leave the specimen, and results are generally available the next day. Positive results go through confirmation and take an additional day or two. The detection window is generally about 24-72 hours, depending on the drug. Marijuana can sometimes last much longer.

2) Oral … Continue Reading