We are currently just over the two year mark of the three-year transition period regarding the latest workplace urine drug testing standard AS/NZS 4308:2023 from AS/NZS 4308:2008. These updated standards introduce significant modifications that will affect your Workplace Drug Testing Program if you conduct urine testing – are you prepared?
The 3 major modifications for Workplace Drug Testing (urine) include:
- A REDUCTION in the screening threshold for Cocaine metabolites, dropping from 300 ug/L to 150 ug/L, with a parallel decrease in the confirmatory threshold from 150 ug/L to 100 ug/L. This modification should lead to increased on-site detections, with confirmatory tests more frequently matching initial screening outcomes.
- The next change involves a REDUCTION in the confirmatory threshold for Nordiazepam, Oxazepam and Temazepam to 100 ug/L. The standard no longer mentions Diazepam, which has been eliminated from confirmation testing lists since it converts into Nordiazepam, Oxazepam and Temazepam after consumption. This reduced confirmation threshold aligns these remaining Benzodiazepines with others listed in both AS/NZS 4308:2008 and 2023. Urine drug screening refers only to “Benzodiazepines,” while urine drug confirmation testing lists specific Benzodiazepine metabolites individually.
- The final major modification permits laboratories to document parent/metabolite drug(s) detected below the threshold, between the laboratories’ limits of quantitation (LOQ) and the cut-off, when another drug/metabolite exceeds the threshold. For instance, if Amphetamine is identified in a sample alongside low-level Methamphetamine, that Methamphetamine result will be included to enhance result interpretation.
Additional minor modifications/inclusions comprise:
- Enhanced reference to Informed Consent regarding testing scope.
- Quality control testing of devices centralized at the main storage facility, instead of on-site pre-testing.
- Provisions for Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (LCMS) based drug screening, with thresholds matching confirmatory methods.
- Oxycodone features specific cutoffs for screening and confirmation but remains outside the main testing panel.
- THC Cut-Off Levels stay unchanged. AS/NZS 4308:2023 maintains existing testing processes/procedures for THC.
Implementation Timeline – until November 2026 where both standards remain valid, enabling manufacturers, laboratories, and collection agencies to implement these modifications.