Workplace testing is now a regular procedure done by many companies worldwide. Alcohol and drug tests are crucial for maintaining workplace safety. Employers can perform these tests to help prevent and reduce potential workplace incidents and risks. Drug and alcohol consumption can cause impairments and negatively impact an employee. Employees can experience judgement impairments, memory loss, coordination problems, blurred vision, and slow reaction times when consuming alcohol or drugs. An employee with these impairments in the workplace can significantly affect workplace safety and endanger coworkers and customers. It is particularly very difficult to operate vehicles or heavy machinery with the effects of drug and alcohol consumption. To help prevent substance usage before and during work, employers require their workers to provide alcohol and drugs tests constantly. Nowadays, most companies even require an alcohol and drug test for employment before hiring an applicant.

An alcohol and drug test for employment during the hiring stage can drastically help companies choose the right applicant. This test can help prevent companies from hiring employees that might have a drug or alcohol abuse problem. Applicants with substance use problems are more likely to endanger the workplace and coworkers. Additionally, hiring the wrong applicant may also negatively affect the workplace environment. Furthermore, employees that constantly consume alcohol and drugs are also more likely to be late or absent. Employers can use urine tests to test for drugs and breath tests with a workplace breathalyser from Breathalysers New Zealand to test for alcohol.

Alcohol and Drug Test for Employment: Workplace Policies

During an alcohol and drug test for employment, the law requires companies to follow legal guidelines and policies. Firstly, companies need to seek consent from employees or applicants before being able to provide tests. A formal agreement must be signed before an employer can legally test an employee. Employers would have applicants and employees sign a workplace policy in most cases. It is important to note that a workplace policy can benefit both employers and employees. Moreover, a workplace policy would also have guidelines on when an employer can perform alcohol and drug tests. Additionally, the policy can also protect an employee’s privacy by strictly keeping test results confidential. Furthermore, a workplace policy would also regularly state that employees can have second chances when testing positive. Employees can choose to seek help (rehabilitation) before a retest.

Alcohol and Drug Test for Employment: Procedures

Aside from an alcohol and drug test for employment before hiring, there are plenty of other situations where employers can perform an alcohol and drug test. Most workplace policies and guidelines cover the rights for employers to test under specific conditions. Companies can hire certified testing services to provide these tests. Additionally, to cut costs, employers may also use a workplace breathalyser from Breathalysers New Zealand to test for alcohol during these tests. Other than tests for pre-employment, companies can also try their employees during:

• Random testing: An unannounced test and can be at any time. This form of testing can help catch employees trying to hide their usage.
• Blanket testing: A procedure that tests all the employees in the company.
• Post-accident/incident testing: A test provided to check if alcohol or drugs were involved in a specific workplace accident. This form of testing can help the company decide the next course of action after an accident.
• Post-positive testing: A test required for employees returning to work after positive testing. This test can help ensure that the returning employees are fit to work.

Alcohol and Drug Test for Employment: Benefits

An alcohol and drug test for employment can drastically benefit any business. Firstly, alcohol and drug tests can ensure that workplace safety and hazards are well managed. Making sure that all workers have no impairments and are fit to work can drastically reduce the likelihood of accidents. Secondly, reducing workplace accidents can help a company reduce their annual costs. Reducing healthcare costs, accident compensation costs, and damaged machinery costs can drastically improve a company’s revenue and profits. Moreover, having fewer accidents at work can also help employees feel more comfortable. Having employees feel more confident and comfortable in workplaces can also help job satisfaction. Satisfying your employees can drastically help improve productivity and turnover rates.

On-site Testing

Employers can now also choose to perform an on-site alcohol and drug test for employment. With the rising demand for workplace testing, testing services can now provide on-site tests. On-site tests allow employers to test their employees within the workplace during work hours. Companies would typically pick this option for random, post-accident, or blanket (mass) workplace testing. On-site testing can help companies maintain workplace productivity even during drug and alcohol testing. Employees would no longer need to take a day off just to get tested. Moreover, it is worth noting that testing cervices use highly reliable drug and alcohol test kits during on-site training. Furthermore, to provide more frequent on-site alcohol testing, companies can also purchase a workplace breathalyser from Breathalysers New Zealand and test their employees themselves. Breathalysers are alcohol testers that can determine your Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) through breath samples.

When choosing what test to perform during an alcohol and drug test for employment procedure, employers need to know the tests available. The tests available for on-site testing are:

• Breath Alcohol test (by using a BACtrack workplace breathalyser – alcohol only)
• Urine test (can test for alcohol and drugs)
• Sweat test (can test for alcohol and drugs)
• Saliva test (can test for alcohol and drugs)
• Hair Follicle test (can test for alcohol and drugs)

Breath Tests

Companies can rely on a breath alcohol test during an alcohol and drug test for employment. Even police officers and medical professionals rely on breath tests. Law enforcement and healthcare providers perform alcohol breath tests to maintain roadside safety and provide adequate medicine prescriptions. The BAC can determine the level of intoxication. Furthermore, the more employees drink during or before work; the higher their BAC results would be. A BAC of 0.01% or more during workplace testing is a positive alcohol test.

Why use the devices from Breathalysers New Zealand

Breathalysers New Zealand has a wide variety of BACtrack workplace breathalysers available. BACtrack devices are highly reliable because of the type of sensors they use. The breathalysers from Breathalysers New Zealand use professional-grade fuel cell sensors. These are the same sensors you would find in a police officer’s or medical professional’s breathalyser. Moreover, these sensors are sensitive only to ethyl alcohol, making them less likely to produce false-positive results. Companies can easily and quickly perform breath tests during an alcohol and drug test for employment with a BACtrack breathalyser. These devices only take 10 to 15 seconds to process your BAC results. Furthermore, all breathalysers from Breathalysers New Zealand have one button operations, which allow for breath tests to begin with just a push of a button.