Disa Global drug screening tests returning false positives, according to workers
HOUSTON - After working for decades, a Houston electrician lost his job due to what he says is an error, and he's not the only one. Worker after worker is claiming their "positive" drug test is wrong.
They all point to one company returning what they say are "false positive" drug test results.
We first highlighted a half dozen Houston workers in June 2024 who all said after getting tested for drugs for work by the screening company, Disa Global Solutions. Their tests came back positive, and they lost their jobs.
The people we spoke with and those who have called and emailed since say they were not taking drugs, so they immediately submitted to more testing and all of those came back negative, but they still didn't get their jobs back.
There are hundreds of people online who say they also have had what they call "false positive" drug results from Disa Global.
"Yes. It's bad," says Willie Howard, a former electrician, while choking back tears.
"This is just not right. If I used drugs, I would just walk away. I would have just walked away because I did wrong. I'm fighting this because I know I don't have drugs in my system," adds Edwin Cobbin, who worked as a power plant scaffolding builder.
"It's rough trying to pay bills. I've been top credit and everything all through my life. I work and I pay for what I want. It's really hard trying to do it without a job. I have been in the plants for over 40 years. I've worked all my life. I'm a working man," says Howard.
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"40 years he's been testing clean. 40 years he's been working hard, but now they're coming up with these false positive drug tests," adds Community Activist Quanell X.
"So that was on the 11th, that they called me (with the drug test results). On the 12th, I went and took two drug tests at the same place that they took me. I passed both of them. On the 18th, I took a hair follicle (test). I passed it. I don't use drugs. There are no drugs in my system," Cobbin explains.
"Extensive hair follicle testing and blood work testing was done on him, the best they had to offer at this independent urinalysis drug testing lab company that also contracts with Disa," says Quanell.
"I took several tests after the false positive test. They are negative. I knew when I took the test, I already knew it was going to come back negative because I never did drugs, never in my life," Howard says.
"These are horror stories that need to stop. Somebody has to step in from a Texas government agency, hopefully from the Texas Attorney General's Office. People are losing their careers, their livelihood. Their families are being destroyed, and I know of some cases already of men committing suicide," says Quanell.
Several of the workers who have been let go because of the positive drug tests say they have reached out to the Texas Attorney General's Office and some have filed lawsuits.
In June, when we did the story, FOX 26 called and emailed Disa and reached out a couple more times since then. Today, we called and emailed again. A receptionist who answered the phone, at our request, also emailed the marketing department with us copied on the email. However, no one from Disa Global has gotten back with FOX 26.