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Georgia-Pacific chooses non-intrusive drug-testing method
As one of the world’s leading manufacturers and distributors of tissue, paper, packaging, building products, pulp and related chemicals, Georgia-Pacific has a strong commitment to safety. Part of Georgia-Pacific’s safety model is its drugs-of-abuse testing program, which the 75-year-old company has implemented since the early 1980s.
Georgia-Pacific drug tests candidates during the pre-employment process. For its current employees, Georgia-Pacific conducts random tests, post accidents or if there is reasonable suspicion for cause.
“We are an extremely safety conscious company and are recognized in the industry as a leader in safe operations,” said Georgia-Pacific vice president of industrial relations Jeff Stone. “Our drug testing program is just one way to ensure the safety of our employees.”
New innovative drug test provides return on investment
Although Georgia-Pacific has been drug testing its staff of 71,000 employees working throughout 600 locations for more than two decades, this past year the company switched to a new innovative oral fluid drugs-of-abuse testing program.
Georgia-Pacific is now using OraSure Technologies’ Intercept oral fluid drug test, the only FDA-cleared, laboratory-based oral fluid drug testing system that detects the "NIDA-5" drug panel (marijuana, cocaine, opiates, PCP and amphetamines).
“Before we knew of Intercept, we relied on urine, blood or breath tests to screen our employees for drug usage,” Stone said. “Everyone is very happy about throwing away those sample cups.”
Georgia-Pacific made the switch to the oral fluid based Intercept test because it is cost effective, easy to administer and eliminates adulteration and/or substitution. Sample collection with the Intercept device is an improvement over collecting urine both in terms of employee dignity and the reduction of time employees spend away from the job.
Plus, an observer can witness the employee collecting his or her own sample of saliva to prevent sample tampering.
“We conducted an internal study and learned that when an employee went for a urine-based drug test, we lost between two and two-and-half hours of an employee’s productive time and of the human resources staff member’s time because the employee has to be accompanied to the off-site testing location,” Stone said. “Intercept allows us to simply test the employee in the human resources office, and within 15 minutes, the employee is back on the job."
“Another benefit that Intercept provides is that it eliminates adulteration and/or substitution,” Stone added. “With urine tests, we have had employees adulterate or substitute their urine sample, but because Intercept is a self-administered, observed test that never leaves the employee’s hand, the test cannot be altered in anyway."
Georgia-Pacific also found Intercept test results to be more actionable than urine tests.
“In the past, if employees took a urine test because there was reasonable suspicion for cause, often the results would not show up positive because the drug did not metabolize in their system,” Stone said. “But with an oral fluid test, you don’t have to wait for the drug to metabolize. We are having tremendous success in identifying positives through Intercept, especially in probable cause situations.”
Company-wide acceptance of new drug test
The transition of the oral fluid drug test into Georgia-Pacific’s drug testing program was seamless. As a result, Georgia-Pacific has been receiving positive feedback from its human resources team, employees and unions.
“Everybody loves the product because it is easy to use,” Stone said. “We have 270 unions throughout our company, and they like Intercept because it is non-intrusive for the employee to have an observer witness the collection of the employee’s sample.”
Georgia-Pacific’s staff members who administer the product go through a training process that OraSure and its laboratory partners provide. The process consists of an interactive, educational CD-ROM that includes a test. Once the human resources person passes the test, he or she is certified in testing Georgia-Pacific’s employees.
“The interactive CD-ROM and supporting literature enable us to train our staff members within 15 minutes,” Stone said.
Georgia-Pacific agrees with many other industry leaders that Intercept testing provides most cost-effective and efficient solution for disrupting potential drug use in the workplace, without disrupting the workplace.
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