Federal Workplace Drug Testing: The Official List of Certified Labs

You might care about this because the Department of Health and Human Services, also known as HHS, releases an important notice about drug testing facilities for federal employees. This notice provides a list of laboratories and special testing facilities that meet strict government standards for drug and specimen validity tests. These tests are done using urine samples. The document also mentions rules for oral fluid testing, but right now, no labs are certified to do those tests. This means that if you are a federal employee or work with a federal agency, the drug tests you or your employees take must go through these approved facilities. The government updates this list every month. If a lab does not meet the high standards, it is removed from the list. This ensures that federal workplace drug testing is done fairly and accurately according to government rules. The rules for these tests have been updated several times since 1988, showing how serious the government is about maintaining these standards. What is particularly interesting about this notice is the level of detail and oversight involved in federal workplace drug testing. The government does not just pick any lab. Facilities must go through a tough certification process. This involves several rounds of performance testing and on-site inspections. To stay certified, labs must keep participating in quarterly tests and get regular inspections. This ongoing checkup ensures the labs consistently meet the government's high standards. It is also significant that while rules for oral fluid testing exist, no labs are currently certified for them. This shows that the certification process is not easy to pass and that the government is careful about approving new methods. This detailed and continuous monitoring makes sure that federal drug test results are reliable. People who would be most interested in this document include federal agencies that conduct drug testing for their employees. This helps them find approved facilities. Federal employees who might be subject to drug testing would also find this information relevant to understand the process. Companies that offer drug testing services, including laboratories and instrumented initial testing facilities, need this information to ensure they meet federal requirements. Legal professionals who deal with workplace law or drug testing policies would also benefit from understanding these guidelines. Finally, anyone interested in government standards for health and safety in the workplace, especially regarding substance abuse prevention, would find this document useful. It directly impacts how drug testing is performed for a large part of the American workforce.