The new workplace urine Standard AS/NZS4308:2303

The AS/NZS 4308:2023 standard outlines the updated protocols for urine drug testing, including how samples should be collected, handled, stored, screened onsite, and sent to laboratories. It plays a critical role in ensuring consistent and accurate practices in workplace drug testing.

 

Here are 4 Major Updates in Workplace Drug Screening

 

1. Lower Cocaine Cut-Off Levels
   The threshold for detecting cocaine metabolites in screening tests has been reduced from 300 µg/L to 150 µg/L. Confirmatory testing thresholds have also decreased from 150 µg/L to 100 µg/L. This adjustment is expected to result in an increase in positive onsite detections and better alignment between initial and confirmatory results.
2. Reduced Benzodiazepine Confirmation Limits
   Confirmatory thresholds for Benzodiazepine metabolites have been lowered from 200 µg/L to 100 µg/L. While screening levels remain at 200 µg/L, this change reduces the chances of confirmatory tests returning negative results when multiple metabolites are present at lower levels.
3. Expanded Reporting of Additional Drug Data
   Laboratories can now report parent drugs or metabolites detected below the cut-off, as long as they fall between the lab’s limit of quantitation (LOQ) and the defined cut-off, provided another substance in the same test panel is above the cut-off. For example, if amphetamine is confirmed and a small amount of methamphetamine is also present, both may be reported to support result interpretation.
4. New requirements for Transport/Collection Devices 
   The standard now specifies that any device used to collect and transport urine specimens for laboratory testing must be fit for purpose and verified as suitable for that use.  This ensures that the integrity of the sample is maintained during transport and that devices meet performance criteria aligned with laboratory standards.

 

Additional Notable Adjustments

 

• Greater emphasis on Informed Consent and its application to test scope.
• Quality control (QC) checks of testing devices are now centralized at main storage sites, rather than performed onsite.
• The use of LCMS (Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry) for initial screening is now acknowledged, using confirmatory thresholds.
• Oxycodone has defined screening and confirmation levels but remains outside the core panel of tests.

 

 

No Changes to THC Testing Criteria

THC cut-off levels remain consistent with the previous version of the standard; no adjustments have been made.

 

Transition Period

To ease adoption, AS/NZS 4308:2023 includes a three-year transition phase where both the 2008 and 2023 standards can be used. This allows time for industry stakeholders—manufacturers, labs, and collection services—to update procedures and equipment accordingly.