Workplace safety and risk management can play a vital role in a company’s success. Accident prevention programs like workplace testing (alcohol and drugs) can help reduce workplace hazards and the likelihood of injuries. Alcohol and drug usage can cause a variety of adverse effects. Effects like impaired judgement, blurred vision, slow reaction times, coordination problems, memory loss, and aggressive behaviour can be present in a person with recent alcohol or drug consumption. Without a doubt, these impairments can drastically affect an employee’s ability to work safely and effectively. Furthermore, impaired employees are more likely to endanger others (coworkers and customers). Therefore, employers must prevent substance and alcohol use. Companies nowadays would require applicants to participate in a drug and alcohol test for employment to deter workplace usage. This method can help prevent employers from hiring applicants that may potentially have drug or alcohol use problems.

It is now common for companies worldwide to perform pre-employment testing on job applicants. This test can ensure employers do not insert a potentially dangerous employee into their workforce. Furthermore, it is worth noting that a negative test result from a drug and alcohol test for employment is now as important as an applicant’s experience and credentials. In most cases, a positive alcohol or drug test result can make you ineligible for the job position. When applying for a job, you are more likely to encounter tests in industries like:

• Construction
• Mining
• Transportation (land and sea)
• Aviation
• Manufacturing

Drug and Alcohol Test for Employment: Importance

The sole purpose of pre-employment alcohol and drug testing with devices like the workplace breathalyser from Breathalysers New Zealand and urine/saliva drug test kits is to single out potentially dangerous applicants. No matter how skilled or experienced, these applicants can drastically affect workplace safety and decrease productivity. Applicants that fail a drug and alcohol test for employment are more likely to have alcohol and drug use problems. Furthermore, these habits can drastically affect their workplace performance. Therefore, workplace pre-employment test results can be as important as the contents of an applicant’s résumé. Employees that have alcohol and drug use problems are more likely to have:

• Increased Absenteeism
• Low production rates
• Poor work quality
• Excessive tardiness
• An unorganised working station (and files)
• A lot of pending and unfinished projects (mainly due to absents)

Aside from their performance, it is essential to note that employees with drug and alcohol problems may also cause issues for their coworkers. Employees that are constantly absent can drastically affect the performance of others as well. Other employees would be forced to work harder because of the missing workforce. Moreover, this could also mean that other employees would have more to do. Additionally, it is crucial to remember that having overworked employees can also lead to high turnover rates. Therefore, hiring the right applicant can play a vital role in a company’s short-term and long-term productivity. Without a doubt, a drug and alcohol test for employment can effectively help employers hire more competent employees.

Drug and Alcohol Test for Employment: Testing Procedures

There are plenty of viable and reliable tests available for a workplace drug and alcohol test for employment. Employers can choose between breath, urine, blood, hair follicle, and saliva tests. Among these tests, companies would commonly perform breath tests for alcohol screening. This form of testing requires the use of breathalysers. Devices like the workplace breathalyser from Breathalysers New Zealand can help provide highly accurate workplace tests. On the other hand, it is common for companies to use urine or saliva sampling for drug tests. These tests can be performed by testing services or with the help of drug test kits. Breath, urine, and saliva tests are commonly done because they are easy and quick to perform. For example, all an employee must do during breath tests is blow into a breathalyser.

Aside from a drug and alcohol test for employment, employers can also perform these tests during other forms of workplace testing. When applying for a job position, employers often make newly hired employees sign a workplace policy and agreement. Signing this document can allow employers to test their employees during:

• Random workplace testing
• Post-accident/incident workplace testing
• Reasonable cause workplace testing (based on evidence)
• Blanket/mass workplace testing

Drug and Alcohol Test for Employment: Breath tests

Breath tests with devices like the workplace breathalysers from Breathalysers New Zealand are plain and simple. These devices can estimate an employee’s Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) through their breath. During a workplace drug and alcohol test for employment, any more than a 0.00% BAC reading could mean a positive test. The only downside with breath tests is that companies would also need to perform urine or saliva tests for drugs. However, the simplicity and speediness of a breath test make up for its disadvantages. Even police officers and medical professionals rely on breath tests. Law enforcers and healthcare practitioners use breath tests to maintain safer roads and provide adequate medical prescriptions. Breathalysers are compact devices that can easily be used in almost any situation. When performing tests for a handful of applicants, devices like the workplace breathalysers from Breathalysers New Zealand can help provide quick and reliable tests.

Why use the Devices from Breathalysers New Zealand?

The workplace breathalysers available on Breathalysers New Zealand feature highly accurate fuel cell sensors. These are the same sensors that law enforcers and medical professionals use on their devices. Moreover, these sensors are sensitive to only ethyl alcohol, reducing the likelihood of producing false-positive results. This accuracy can help when testing employees with diabetes or on a low-calorie diet. Fuel cell sensors are highly durable, allowing employers to use them for constant and frequent company-wide alcohol testing. Additionally, this durability also ensures employers that these devices do not need frequent recalibration despite heavy use. It takes 10 to 15 seconds for a BACtrack breathalyser from Breathalysers New Zealand to process BAC results. Lastly, these devices also have one-button operations, allowing for breath tests to be done with just a press of a button. Employers can now efficiently provide convenient alcohol tests during a drug and alcohol test for employment.

Conclusion

Employers need to prioritise workplace safety. Improving overall workplace safety can ensure good productivity and employee satisfaction. Employers can reduce the likelihood of workplace accidents and injuries by implementing a drug and alcohol test for employment. Avoiding applicants who may have an alcohol or drug use issue can help maintain an excellent overall working environment. Moreover, reducing workplace accidents can help improve a company’s overall annual earnings by reducing specific costs. Fewer accidents in the workplace can lead to:

• Reduced healthcare costs
• Reduced accident compensation costs
• Fewer damaged equipment to replace
• Fewer damaged products
• No disruptions in workflow