ScreenSafe UK is an independent company and therefore offer impartial advice. We are not owned by “parent companies” and do not need to answer to them financially. We are also not contracted to sell a certain amount of units of product to meet targets. We won’t put all our efforts in just one type of testing, we’ve become experts in all of them. We’ll therefore inform you truthfully and authoritatively which product is right for your application. Oral, Urine or Hair.

Many companies have concentrated on just one of these technologies, so that’s all they will offer you. Many may try and sell you their system where its use is not appropriate. Other suppliers may just push the “most profitable” items or the systems that they must sell a minimum number of each month as part of a contract. Laboratories may often not wish to offer point of care/instant screening devices as it can reduce their income.

Window of detection:

To decide what method is best suited to your testing programme, you must consider the “window of detection”. This is basically from when a drug is detectable and the length of time that drugs remain detectable (over the cut-off limit). This varies dependant on the media you are testing. The graph and tables below are intended to give a rough guide of this “window”.

Approximate duration of detectability for selected drugs *Guidelines are not intended to be applied to any individual; guidelines represent averages only. Drug detection periods can vary based on type, strength, and frequency of ingestion.

Approximate blood alcohol percentage It may be that all three methods fit into your testing model. As far as costs are concerned, Urine and Saliva/Oral fluid are very similar, whereas Hair testing is the most expensive although often the most revealing and detailed. Ideal where conclusive evidence of past / regular  drug use or non-use is required.

To download and view our Drug Hair Testing Leaflet as a PDF file, click on the iamge across <

If you do not have Adobe Acrobat, you can download the Acrobat Viewer here.

ScreenSafe UK provides an extremely comprehensive testing service, including a professional collection service, to detect the presence of alcohol in hair samples for medico-legal professionals involved with family, criminal law, child protection and social services matters.

Hair testing offers a unique window of detection for drugs and alcohol. It allows you to look back months rather than days to ‘rule in’ or ‘rule out’ drug and alcohol use in a specific case.

Alcohol abuse is one of the most serious social problems throughout the world. Our scientists have been focusing their studies over many years to find suitable markers to establish chronic alcohol consumption.

Hair analysis has proved its ability in establishing consumption of drugs of abuse over a period of time. Similarly, when we analyse the alcohol markers in hair samples, we can establish alcohol consumption over periods of time, dependent on the length of the hair.

Due to our superior laboratory facilities, ScreenSafe UK is the ONLY company in the UK and Ireland capable of offering this UNIQUE service

Key Features Include:
• Unique window of detection
• Non-invasive
• Detects chronic use
• Can identify patterns of use
• Qualified collection service
• Quick turnaround of results
• Alcohol Detection Hair Testing

Case Study
Two parents fighting for custody of their child, who had been taken into care, were requested to give a hair sample for alcohol analysis. A sample of head hair was taken from each parent under strict chain of custody conditions. The samples were analysed to determine if their alcohol abuse had reduced over the past three months. Results were shown on a month by month basis by sectioning the samples into 1cm sections. The results proved that the wife had a negative result, but as alleged the husband’s alcohol in-take had remained at a chronic level over the tested period.
Collection Service

ScreenSafe UK provides a professional collection service to all areas within the UK and Ireland. Our qualified collection officers will make sure that a legally defensible Chain of Custody is provided by: (i) collecting the correct quantity of hair, from the correct area, in the correct manner; (ii) accurately completing and presenting all paperwork correctly; (iii) despatching the sample(s) safely and on time. Collection appointments are arranged and organised to meet your deadlines (wherever possible) ensuring peace of mind for you and your client or patient. Results are guaranteed within 10 working days from receipt of sample at our laboratory allowing you to plan your case, hearing or appointment dates with complete confidence.

Expert Witness Statement
• An Expert Witness Statement provides essential support at court.
• A detailed explanation of positive results. All results are supported by a full toxicological report.
• Expert Witness attendance at court is also available, if required.

Diagnosis
Diagnosis of excessive alcohol consumption is an important task from a medical/legal point of view. Markers of alcohol consumption are ethylglucuronide, and phosphatidylethanol or fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEE). Detection of ethylglucuronide is always associated with alcohol consumption.

We use 100pg/mg as a positive cut-off level. With this cut-off level, we can identify (with no false negatives) a regular drinker. The forensic definition of a regular drinker is the equivalent of 5 units of alcohol per day.

A typical 3cm sample of hair will show a history of the past 3 months. We can segment the hair sample to give a month by month account of chronic alcohol consumption. This will show either an increase or decrease over time.

To download and view our Drug Hair Testing Leaflet as a PDF file, click on the iamge across <

If you do not have Adobe Acrobat, you can download the Acrobat Viewer here.

Due to being a truly independent company we are able to offer the broadest range of products available to compliment a robust and legally defensible Drug and Alcohol Policy. We listen to your needs, aims and objectives and then recommend the most effective way forward to fit in with your budget. We supply a ranges of immunoassay screening devices right up to more complex (and therefore usually more expensive!) P.O.C. screening solutions.

We can supply the necessary "instant screen devices" for both drugs and alcohol screening which are becoming more popular in today’s testing arena. We are NOT contracted to sell one form of testing device or technique. We will advise you of what is currently available and continually assess new products for suitability, accuracy, ease of use and cost. If we believe a product is not right for you, we will provide you with suitable alternatives. We will keep you informed of technology and product changes so you can remain one step ahead in maintaining your screening programme. We only use and sell CE and FDA approved products. We can provide a full collection/P.O.C. screening service or we can train you/staff in legally defensible "Point of Care" collection techniques and provide all the necessary products, advice, documents, procedures, confirmation analysis and back-up to enable you to carry out your own Drugs and/or Alcohol screening programme. This could be executed by your own Occupational Health department.

Our flexibility to fit in with your existing supply partners is a key strength. We are able and happy to provide as little or as much as you require. We build trust by the way we perform and look to establish long term key partnerships with our customers. Please contact us for details of current P.O.C. products and solutions.

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ScreenSafe UK’s own RandomSelecta software is an essential part to any Drugs & Alcohol random/unannounced testing donor selection programme. The RandomSelecta was specially developed as a fast and inexpensive way to randomize employee names, numbers, NI numbers, departments etc to establish a legally defensible selection process for Drug and Alcohol testing.

We can either provide the RandomSelecta software and licence on CD or we can manage the process for you. We offer fair and secure truly random selection services for a low monthly fee – please contact for set rates. By utilizing our independent random selection services you can be sure of a completely objective and non-discretionary method for 3rd party testing selection.

To download and view our Drug Hair Testing Leaflet as a PDF file, click on the iamge across <

If you do not have Adobe Acrobat, you can download the Acrobat Viewer here.