Medvet Laboratories Raises Australia’s Drug Testing Standards to New Level
21 December 2009
Medvet Laboratories has raised the bar in drug testing, becoming the first in Australia to receive full accreditation by the National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA).
Medvet Laboratories has undertaken and passed a rigorous 12-month audit, receiving national accreditation not only for laboratory-based urine collections, screening and confirmations but also for on-site urine kits and testing.
General manager Mr Greg Johansen says this is the first time any company in Australia has met the prescribed standard for all areas of urine testing at one time.
Due to the new standard (AS/NZS 4308:2008), Medvet Laboratories becomes the only drug testing company in Australia whose results are admissible in court, for both on-site testing and laboratory-based urine collection, screening and confirmations.
“I am immensely proud of the entire Medvet Laboratories drug testing team,” he said. “This accreditation proves that Medvet Laboratories is at the forefront of the drug testing industry in Australia in terms of quality, accuracy and service to our customers."
NATA's updated accreditation standard meets a growing demand from government and industry bodies who are increasing workplace drug testing to improve safety and avoid litigation for Australian workers and the community at large.
The new standard allows for specimen collection, storage, handling and dispatch to be accredited separately from confirmatory testing in a laboratory. It also allows for on-site screening devices to be accredited.
Major changes include stricter chain of custody procedures for samples, more regular standardised control measures for the collection process and quality assurance protocols for the on-site testing devices used.
“For results to be submitted as evidence in court, all testing must be conducted to the Australian Standard using an accredited collection agency,” he said.
“Collectors must complete a course of instruction for collection and testing and receive a statement of attainment in accordance with the Australian Quality Training Framework or New Zealand Qualification Authority. This has required the training of over 150 Medvet staff and clients nationally.”
“The on-site kits that we use have gone through a very strict verification process by an independent laboratory. Both the Varian and Surestep products met the national standard.”
Medvet Laboratories conducts more than 100,000 tests Australia-wide each year for workplace drug and alcohol monitoring, as well as food and environmental quality checks and DNA testing. Our clients include large mining companies, major airlines, police forces, prisons and Australian and overseas companies of all sizes.
“We have highly qualified staff across Australia that can manage drug and alcohol testing, from policy development, on-site drug testing, sample collection, to result analysis and dissemination," Mr. Johansen said.
“We have really taken drug and alcohol testing to a new standard in Australia,” he concluded.
