Everything You Need To Know on Alcohol and Drug Screening

Most people will likely take an alcoholic drink at least once. As for drugs, some people are prescribed legal medications by their physicians. However, there are groups of people who take medicines that are considered illegal. Drugs and alcohol are the most used and sometimes misused substances worldwide. That is why most companies incur significant expenses relating to workplace accidents and incidents. Some may incur more extraordinary costs for legal obligations and litigations. Even at recruitment, most companies incur alcohol and drug screening expenses. This screening is a part of the recruitment process for NZ businesses. Thus, reducing more costs incurred by accepting applicants who could potentially become a liability for taking drugs or alcohol.

It is essential to know which substances are most commonly misused by individuals. Detecting such substances in alcohol and drug screening benefits a company. However, not only businesses conduct such screening. There are other reasons why such tests are being used. The following sections will discuss the types of alcohol and drug screening. Also, devices for screening, such as breathalysers from Breathalysers New Zealand. And how it can help reduce alcoholism in the workplace. 

Alcohol and Drug Screening: Most Commonly Abused Substances

Chemicals in legal and illegal medicines can alter how your body and mind operate. They can provide a satisfying “high,” relieve tension or assist a person in avoiding problems in their life. An alcohol and drug screening test focus on checking whether an individual is abusing these commonly abused substances:

• Alcohol– Everyone reacts differently to alcohol. However, if you drink excessively and frequently, you increase your chances of becoming injured or involved in an accident.
• Prescription and Over-the-Counter (OTC) Medicine – You can abuse medicine if you take medicine prescribed for another person. Also, abuse counts if you take extra doses, take medicine other than prescribed, or take a drug for a non-medical reason.
• Heroin – is an illegal drug that gives a person a rush of good feeling at first but slows everything down when the effect wears off. Heroin is very addictive which means a person will want to continually take more of it to feel better.
• Cocaine – this drug speeds up the whole body of a person. Using this may cause a person to talk, move or think very fast. Like heroin, this can make a person want more of it to feel better.
• Marijuana – Many states and countries have legalised medical uses of marijuana. However, it is still illegal in many parts of the world.

Alcohol and Drug Screening: Reasons for Conducting Screening

It is an already known fact that most companies conduct alcohol and drug screening to reduce expenses resulting from such abuse in the workplace. However, there are other reasons for conducting such tests. These are the following:

• Pre-employment and workplace testing– any employer may conduct a drug and alcohol test. These tests are part of pre-employment requirements. It is also part of workplace testing and monitoring to ensure a healthy workplace for all employees. Most employers use workplace breathalysers from Breathalysers New Zealand for pre-employment and workplace alcohol testing.
• Sports testing– routinely testing both professional and amateur athletes for performance-enhancing drugs such as muscle-building steroids.
• Drug treatment – testing can help monitor progress in rehabilitation programs.
• Legal advice –tests conducted for a criminal or motor vehicle accident investigation. As part of a case, a judge may also order testing.
• Prescription monitoring – if your doctor prescribes a potentially addictive medication, such as an opioid for chronic pain, a drug test may be performed to ensure you are taking it correctly.

Alcohol and Drug Screening: Screening Types and Policies

A biological sample from the breath, urine, saliva, or blood is taken for analysis in an alcohol and drug screening test. An alcohol breath test, for example, can be used to evaluate an employee’s intoxication and alcohol levels. Breathalysers are small, portable devices that measure the amount of alcohol in your breath. Most businesses utilise breathalysers for alcohol and urine tests for drug testing. A drug test looks for chemicals such as amphetamines, cannabis, cocaine, opioids, and barbiturates. A qualified laboratory must collect and analyse the sample to obtain reliable test results. Employers can also use a comprehensive policy to undertake drug and alcohol screening. The policy usually includes the most critical aspects of occupational safety, such as:

• Regulations regarding drug and alcohol use and tolerance
• Conducting drug and alcohol screening
• Test methods or procedures
• Employee consent
• Employee rights, privacy, and confidentiality
• The outcome of a positive test results
• Rehabilitation and support

Breathalysers from Breathalyser New Zealand

Having a workplace alcohol and drug screening policy and determining what type of test to use is fundamental for a business. However, concerns such as costs still need to be considered. While blood, urine, hair and saliva testing are the best tests based on their accuracy and results, they are still too costly for a company. That is why most businesses prefer breathalysers for alcohol testing. Breathalysers New Zealand is a New Zealand-based company that only sells authentic, original BACtrack products. These are the most well-known and best-selling breathalyser brands in the world today. Also, BACtrack is a global leader in breathalyser technology. Their breathalysers are dependable, accurate, and reasonably priced, with the quality only BACtrack can provide. When checking BAC levels, a breathalyser is the best for your workplace needs.

They have a wide range of breathalysers considered the best testing device for personal and workplace use. Breathalysers range from the durable and dependable S80 Pro to the handy keyring-sized Go Keychain. Some products operate via an app on your smartphone. This device has advantages such as reducing the size of the breathalyser, tracking alcohol consumption over time, and estimating the time to sobriety. Keeping track of your health is the primary goal of Breathalysers New Zealand. They have a large range of of breathalysers to use personally and in the workplace. This is the best device you can include in your alcohol and drug screening policies.

Conclusion 

Using and misusing alcohol and drugs substances are the most common problem any workplace currently encounters. All employers must include alcohol and drug screening tests in their workplace policies. Also, all workplaces must have these tests for workplace risk management that employers can do during pre-employment activities or regular and random testing for their current employees. However, it may be hard to detect such substance abuse. Still, with the help of alcohol and drug screening tests, we can get more information if an individual is currently suffering from substance abuse. Alcohol and drug screening tests will also help reduce the likelihood of such abuse becoming an addiction. 

Alcohol and drug screening tests can help businesses, workplaces, and individuals win their battles against alcohol and drug abuse. However, it is still best to live a responsible life. Thus, we can start from ourselves and be able to affect other people to live an alcohol and drug-free lifestyle.