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Drug Testing For House : When to get it done and what are the limitations?

Sensis Master • Oct 05, 2020

A Review of Drug Testing Limitations and Timing

When should you get drug testing done in a commercial and or residential scenario? It's a complex question that doesn’t have a single answer. But, we hope to enlighten you on the types of reasons and situations, where drug testing is essential. If you are concerned about a home that you would like to buy, we can help. Our services are used by all sorts of people and companies in the real estate industry. We also believe that our unique drug testing services are brilliant for commercial and or corporate settings. We can shine a light on various activities that would otherwise be bad for business. We can also be a part of your effort to support your employees’ wellbeing and challenges to find reasons that could be thwarting productivity.

Who should be aiming for drug testing?

Corporate

Business office

If you are a business in search of a new office, we are a service that you need to use to protect your employees. With the new competitive environment for office space, many companies will be looking to expand. Commercial office space has grown on the market but that means you have the time and ability to pick through carefully, which office space you would like.

Our testing service will go through any commercial property that you are seeking to lease or buy. We’ll test surfaces such as desks, toilets, walls, meeting rooms and floors for any sign that drug use was apparent in the premises. We’ll search for signs of meth and make sure that you are notified if any residue is found. This can help your employees stay healthy as you can remove any such substances thanks to our knowledge.

Employees

If you would like to know whether your employees are taking anything they shouldn’t, we can help here too. You want your employees to stay sharp and on the ball, as they represent you when they are meeting clients and other professionals in your industry. Therefore, we can conduct drug testing on your employees to see if they are taking meth. This can be to save their lives and get them on the right track again. However, it can also be in a bid to save your image. You don’t want your managers and C-suite level employees to be under the influence of such a drug while they are making very important and costly decisions.

Residential

Moving house

We believe that residents in search of a new home need to get our drug testing done. Any new property that you hope to make your new family home, should be fully tested and made safe. Your children should never have to live in a home that has meth power or residue inside it. Breathing that in day in and day out, can cause serious mental concerns such as insomnia and health scares such as irritated skin and headaches. Our drug testing can be used to go through an entire house, and find anything that shouldn’t be there.

How accurate is drug testing?

We believe that our testing is reliable and can be done relatively quickly due to our expertise both on-site and in labs.

Rapid testing: we can do a very fast testing if you are need or urgency and speed. However that doesn't mean that quality will be overlooked as we strive ourselves on having very accurate and trustworthy results.

A rapid test is like a pregnancy test, in that we will give you a positive or negative result. It won’t give you the level of contamination. We do a swab test of an area of about 100cm2.

Lab testing: the NIOSH 9111 test is when we can give you an exact reading of the level of contamination. We again, swab an area of 100cm2 and then take the swabs back to the lab. We will test the swab and give you an accurate reading of what we find. We can tell you the level and the danger that it poses.

We don’t offer on-site lab or composite testing. This is because we find that it is inaccurate and actually, costs the customer more. It's understandable that testing at the location with essentially prop-up labs is not only rushing the process but increases the costs unduly. Therefore we refuse to do this.

What is corporate drug testing?

Corporate drug testing is vital for any business that wishes to keep it's employees safe and on the right track. This is done when we drug test your employees to see if they are taking any substances such as meth. You never know, your junior and lower level employees might be fine, but their managers are not taking care of themselves.

You might also wish to do this if you see that an employee is under the influence of a substance but you need to prove it before you can fire them. You don’t want to be taken to a tribunal court for ending an employee’s contract before it's due date for renewal or termination. So our testing can give you the answer and the legal reason, to fire them if they are taking drugs.

Why should you test your new home?

Before you buy a home, you should perform drug testing in all of it's rooms and hallways. But if you have already moved in, that’s not a problem, as we can still find trace amounts.

If you have a baby, their mind and body is so vulnerable and breathing in particles of meth could be permanently damaging to their health. We believe that we can shine a light on any such substances and prevent your baby from having serious brain defects in the future. If you have moved into an area that has seen its fair share of drug abuse, we highly recommend that you use drug testing services to be on the safe side and protect your family and home.

So feel free to contact us, ask any questions you’d like to know the answers to and we’ll be more than happy to help you.

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Managing Meth Contamination - Stewarts Drug Testing Blog

This blog aims to inform the West Australian public on methamphetamine contamination and its effect. We intend on answering questions that property managers, landlords, first home buyers and homeowners need answering. Here we also look into current statistics on meth use, how meth is affecting our community and the way the problem is currently being managed. Blog writer by Monique Stewart (one of Stewarts Drug Testings meth testing technicians) will give you an insight into the world of meth contamination, and the effects of the drugs contamination on not only our community but our investments and health.

How Meth Contaminates a Building

By Monique Stewart • 04 Sep, 2019

When meth is smoked, the crystals are heated and change form. Those tiny particles that become airborne and do not make it into the user's system, will land on the walls, floors, ceilings and any soft furnishings. Once the smoke hits these surfaces, the drug embeds itself into the surface and eventually changes back to its original form, tiny crystals

Families at risk with short-stay holiday rentals used to cook methamphetamine being left completely undetected.

By Monique Stewart • 23 Aug, 2019

Do you rent out one of your properties as a short-stay apartment or home? Have you ever rented out a short-stay apartment/home for business or a holiday? Let’s get straight into it. A significant number of short-term holiday homes are being used to manufacture Methamphetamine. Yes, you read that correctly, they are being used as meth labs. In May this year, an Airbnb in Adelaide was found to have a meth lab set up by two gentlemen who rented the home for five nights. The police stumbled across the lab after responding to reports of a fire. The two men had only moved into the house just 24 hours earlier. They set up the meth lab within the property intending to set up the lab, manufacture Methamphetamine, pack up and leave within this short five day period being completely undetected, something that the Adelaide Police said isn’t uncommon in short-term rental properties. Meth labs don’t need to be a chemistry equipment style lab (like this setup); often there is no sign these types of drug labs even existed once they’re dismantled. What is left though is toxic, dangerous chemicals and meth residue for the next unsuspecting renter. This toxic residue can cause symptoms including persistent cough, asthma-like symptoms, trouble sleeping, ADHD, decreased memory function, skin rashes, watery eyes, dizziness and blurry vision—the list goes on. Although this incident is shocking, it is not a one-off occurrence. In December 2015, a similar situation happened in Queensland where police raided an Airbnb and found a meth lab set up for manufacturing meth. Not too long after this, in March 2016, an explosion occurred at the Meriton apartments in Queensland. It was said that a man was manufacturing meth at 5 a.m. in the holiday apartment when he was mixing chemicals that caused the explosion to happen.

Our Addiction to Meth and Its Contamination.

By Monique Stewart • 19 Jun, 2019

Western Australians addition to meth and understanding how the drug affects our bodies. We dive into this toping explaining how the drug changes the chemicals in our brain and how that, in turn, makes us feel. We then explore how the residue from using meth is contaminating our homes.

Meth testing and how contamination effects health

The Health Risk of Meth Contamination and Dr Jackie Wright’s Case Study

By Monique Stewart • 07 Jun, 2019

The adverse health effects of living within a methamphetamine-contaminated property are consistent. The impacts we are seeing are respiratory, cognitive and behavioural. These effects have included persistent cough, asthma-like symptoms, trouble sleeping, ADHD, decreased memory function, skin rashes, watery eyes, dizziness and blurry vision—the list goes on. Children tend to be more at risk of being affected by meth contamination as they play regularly coming into contact with walls, floors and other surfaces.

So, do you think your tenant is using or manufacturing meth?

By Monique Stewart • 28 May, 2019

Property managers have a duty of care to the tenant, protecting their health and safety when living in the home. Any meth residue that has contaminated the property can cause significant health complications. This can present a liability risk by allowing a contaminated home to be occupied; the property manager may breach the Residential Tenancies Act in their state/territory or contravene building, environmental and health legislation, leaving landlords and agents exposed to legal action and claims for compensation. This blog will outline what to look for in a tenant who is using or manufacturing meth, how to work out if the property is contaminated, and what to do next!

A Rapidly Growing Need for Meth Residue Testing

By Monique Stewart • 20 May, 2019

I’m sure many of you have seen the headlines exposing the high presence of meth within our community. Western Australia specifically ranking above the national average with rates at 1.4% nationally and 2.7% in Western Australia in the same year. While funding from the government to crack down on the drug with the Western Australian Methamphetamine Action Plan will help, tens of thousands of homes have already been contaminated with many more at significant risk due to rising meth use and manufacture. The most shocking statistic though? It has been recorded that young children living in a meth-contaminated home have the equivalent level of meth in their system an adult meth user. Both manufacturing and smoking meth leaves a toxic chemical residue that stains and impregnates walls, floors, ceilings and carpets. When meth is manufactured, contaminants can include mercury, lead, iodine, lithium and poisonous solvents. Your body and young children’s bodies can take in this toxic residue in day to day life through touching and breathing. Sadly children are more susceptible to health risks due to their inquisitive nature. Exposure to meth residue can damage the nervous system, liver and blood production mechanisms, symptoms including headaches, irritated skin, and insomnia.