Maintaining workplace safety can be critical to a company’s success. Safety-critical industries can significantly benefit from having a safe workplace. Workplace safety is a top priority in mining, transportation, construction, and manufacturing industries. Many companies regularly conduct alcohol and drug tests to improve workplace and employee safety. These tests can assist businesses in identifying potentially risky personnel who work with impairments. Impairments caused by alcohol and drugs can significantly impact an employee’s ability to operate safely and productively. Additionally, drug and alcohol use can slow down a person’s reaction times, coordination, memory, judgment, and changes in behaviour. Therefore, employers frequently conduct workplace testing to guarantee that their workers are not impaired while working. Furthermore, employers can provide random drug and alcohol testing to identify employees with substance use.

Random drug and alcohol testing at work can significantly minimise workplace accidents by avoiding substance use during working hours. Furthermore, businesses can manage risks by conducting testing to ensure their employees are physically fit to work. Many industries worldwide have zero-tolerance workplace policies to discourage workplace substance use. Implementing workplace policy for alcohol and drug testing can help reduce the chance of accidents caused by substance impairment. Additionally, companies can conduct alcohol testing utilising an alcohol breath tester. Breath testing using a breathalyser is a standard practice in workplaces and on roadsides. Companies can use a reliable device to conduct testing, such as the BACtrack workplace breathalysers from Breathalysers New Zealand.

Random Drug and Alcohol Testing: Importance

Constant random drug and alcohol testing can significantly benefit businesses in many ways. Drug and alcohol tests can help employers to identify employees who may endanger the workplace or their coworkers. Additionally, preventing employees from working with impairments can increase workplace safety significantly by lowering the likelihood of accidents and incidents. Furthermore, regular alcohol testing can aid in discouraging the use of alcohol before or during working hours. Without drugs and alcohol, employees will be more active, productive, and safe at work. Moreover, companies with an effective prevention program like workplace testing can make employees feel more secure. Employees at ease at work will be more satisfied with their jobs. Employee satisfaction can assist boost productivity and turnover rates, enabling longer-term organisational success. Moreover, accident prevention can help businesses attain the following:

• Lower accident compensation expenses
• Reduced healthcare expenses
• Lessen the cost of insurance
• Fewer damaged properties to repair
• Avoidance of damaged products
• Increased workplace productivity

Random Drug and Alcohol Testing: Kinds of Tests Available

Numerous alcohol and drug test methods are available for drug and alcohol testing in workplaces. However, most testing methods necessitate the use of testing services. On the other hand, employers can utilise a workplace breathalyser for quick alcohol testing, such as the BACtrack from Breathalysers New Zealand, to accurately measure employees’ Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) levels. The BAC level is the percentage equivalent to the amount of alcohol consumed. Furthermore, the following are the different types of alcohol and drug testing methods that companies can use for random drug and alcohol testing:

• Breath test: The alcohol detection window can last up to 24 hours in breath tests. A breath test using the BACtrack breathalyser as an instant alcohol testing device is the quickest and most non-invasive method of tracing alcohol levels.
• Urine test: For a standard urine test, the alcohol detection window is 12 hours, while for Ethyl Glucuronide (EtG) testing, the detection window is 3 to 5 days.
• Saliva test: A saliva test has the shortest detection time, ranging from 6 to 24 hours. This test is only helpful in detecting short-term alcohol and drug use.
• Hair test: The detection of alcohol and drugs in hair might last up to 90 days. Therefore, a hair test reveals a long alcohol and drug use history.
• Blood test: This is the most intrusive drug and alcohol test available. The detection time ranges between 6 and 12 hours. This test is the most accurate and expensive alcohol and drug testing method.

Random Drug and Alcohol Testing: Breath Tests

Companies can use breath alcohol testers to perform breath tests during random drug and alcohol testing in workplaces. Through breath samples, a breathalyser can measure an employee’s BAC levels. Employers, police officials, and healthcare professionals use breath tests because they are quick and simple to administer. Furthermore, the BAC results of a breathalyser test can be used to evaluate a person’s state of intoxication. An employee with a BAC level of 0.01 per cent is considered a positive result during workplace testing with zero-tolerance policy. Therefore, employees are only permitted to work if their test result is negative for alcohol and drug use.

Companies can conduct frequent testing using the BACtrack workplace breathalysers from Breathalysers New Zealand. The BACtrack is a reliable and accurate breathalyser that employers can use during random drug and alcohol testing. The BACtrack breathalysers can read BAC levels from 0.00 to 0.40 per cent. Therefore, with the BACtrack, employers can identify employees who consumed even a tiny amount of alcohol. Additionally, the BACtrack can deliver accurate results within 10 to 15 seconds, allowing employers to conduct fast and frequent workplace testing. The BACtrack breathalyser is capable of storing and analysing the breath sample on its own. Unlike blood or urine samples, breath samples do not require the use of a certified testing service or laboratory to process samples. 

Breath Tests: Reliability

Breath test using a breathalyser is now highly reliable. Law enforcement and healthcare practitioners use a breathalyser to help them maintain road safety and provide appropriate medication prescriptions. Furthermore, a court can determine drink driving charges and penalties by reviewing a driver’s breathalyser BAC readings from an evidential breath test. Additionally, businesses can undertake breath tests independently using highly effective devices such as the BACtrack from Breathalysers New Zealand. A BACtrack pro-grade breathalyser is undoubtedly helpful for companies to test employees’ alcohol use during random drug and alcohol testing in workplaces.

Breath Test Devices from Breathalysers New Zealand

Breathalysers New Zealand offers highly reliable breathalyser devices for professional and personal use. Most BACtrack breathalysers use fuel cell sensors technology for more accurate readings. Fuel cell sensors are also used in police breathalysers for roadside alcohol screenings. Furthermore, fuel cell sensors are exclusively sensitive to ethyl alcohol, ensuring that the product is less likely to provide false-positive findings. Furthermore, the BACtrack devices from Breathalysers New Zealand is the leader of breathalyser technology in delivering accurate results. Therefore, workplaces can drastically improve using the BACtrack breathalyser for random drug and alcohol testing. Moreover, all BACtrack breathalysers have a one-button operation, allowing employers to start alcohol breath tests with a simple button press. You may visit the Breathalysers New Zealand website to view all the BACtrack products to help you conduct workplace testing.