Rail Safety Worker Drug and Alcohol Testing
The Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator runs the national drug and alcohol testing program for rail safety workers. In Queensland, this includes:
- programmed testing, including intelligence-led risk-based and random testing
- post-incident testing.
The drug and alcohol testing program was established according to the Rail Safety National Law, and aims to:
- improve the safety of rail by deterring the use of drugs and alcohol by workers
- monitor compliance with the Rail Safety National Law
- monitor the effectiveness of a rail transport operator’s Drug and Alcohol Management Program.
On 1 May 2025, the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator appointed First Choice Diagnostic Co. as the national service provider to undertake drug and alcohol testing on its behalf.
Drug and alcohol testing can include breath, oral fluid (saliva) and blood testing, where applicable. Under the Rail Safety National Law (Queensland) Regulation 2017, the chief executive of the Department of Transport and Main Roads approves the laboratories and particular devices used by the national service provider for the drug and alcohol testing program.
Approved laboratories
The following laboratories have been approved under section 18A(1)(a) of the Rail Safety National Law (Queensland) Regulation 2017 for the carrying out of an analysis or laboratory test:
| Name of laboratory | Date of approval |
|---|---|
| For an analysis or laboratory test of a specimen of saliva | |
|
Racing Analytical Services Limited |
15 January 2026 |
|
Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology (Sonic Healthcare Pty Ltd) |
15 January 2026 |
| For a laboratory test of a specimen of blood | |
|
Forensic Toxicology, Forensic Pathology and Coronial Services, Pathology Queensland, Queensland Health |
15 January 2026 |
Approved saliva testing devices
The following saliva testing devices have been approved under section 18A(1)(b) of the Rail Safety National Law (Queensland) Regulation 2017 for the carrying out of a preliminary saliva test:
| Details of saliva testing device | Date of approval |
|---|---|
|
Clonal Technologies Oral Fluid Drug Test 7 |
15 January 2026 |
|
Medvet Oral7 |
15 January 2026 |
|
Oranoxis ToxWipe Oral 7+ |
15 January 2026 |
Approved collection units
The following collection units have been approved under section 18A(1)(c) of the Rail Safety National Law (Queensland) Regulation 2017 for collecting a specimen of saliva for analysis:
| Details of collection unit | Date of approval |
|---|---|
| A saliva collection swab from a Quantisal | 15 January 2026 |
Revocations
The following approvals are revoked under section 18B of the Rail Safety National Law (Queensland) Regulation 2017:
| Approval | Laboratory / Testing Device / Collection Unit | Date of Revocation |
|---|---|---|
| None |
Register of approved laboratories and devices
The following register of approvals is published in accordance with section 18C of the Rail Safety National Law (Queensland) Regulation 2017:
| Approved laboratories and devices | Date of approval | Date of revocation |
|---|---|---|
| Laboratories | ||
| For an analysis or laboratory test of a specimen of saliva | ||
| Racing Analytical Services Limited | 15 January 2026 | |
| Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology (Sonic Healthcare Pty Ltd) | 15 January 2026 | |
| For a laboratory test of a specimen of blood | ||
| Forensic Toxicology, Forensic Pathology and Coronial Services, Pathology Queensland, Queensland Health | 15 January 2026 | |
| Saliva testing devices | ||
| Clonal Technologies Oral Fluid Drug Test 7 | 15 January 2026 | |
| Medvet Oral7 | 15 January 2026 | |
| Oranoxis ToxWipe Oral 7+ | 15 January 2026 | |
| Collection units | ||
| A saliva collection swab from a Quantisal | 15 January 2026 | |
Further guidance on the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator’s testing program is available from the Drug and Alcohol: ONRSR’s Testing Program Fact Sheet.
- Last updated
- 15 January 2026