At a 1986 conference sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and attended by representatives of civil liberties groups, corporations, and the scientific community, a consensus was reached about the necessary conditions of making workplace drug testing legal. The requirements are that no person be tested surreptitiously and without a documented job performance deficiency, that positive tests be confirmed by alternative methods,that test results remain confidential, and that drug rehabilitation programs be available. The specimen collection and transportation to the lab should be properly observed to prevent specimen substitution or contamination by the subject. Chain of custody and specimen protection should be maintained during transportation of the specimen to the testing laboratory. The specimen should be sealed with a tamperproof device. When the specimen is opened in the laboratory, the chain of custody documentation must resume. 6 footnotes.