Workplace safety should always be the priority of companies and business owners alike. Employers should take several precautions to help keep the office or workplace safe for their employees. Precautions like fire and earthquake drills, stairway safety, and emergency exit strategies, to name a few. Another vital precaution is creating and implementing a workplace alcohol policy. Alcohol use and abuse could easily lead to behavioural and awareness problems for an individual. Hence, companies should monitor and prevent alcoholism in the workplace. Out of control alcoholism would most definitely prove to be dangerous in most working environments. Thus, with these issues in mind, alcohol testing has become more prevalent in many workplaces. Additionally, the need for certified workers who have taken the alcohol certification test has risen quite considerably.

In addition, BACtrack workplace breathalysers at Breathalysers Australia can greatly aid these professionals who have undergone an alcohol certification test. It helps these individuals in conducting accurate, cost-efficient and reliable alcohol breath testing in the workplace.

Reason for Taking an Alcohol Certification Test

As stated by the law, employers have a legal responsibility to provide all their employees with a safe and risk-free working environment. Subsequently, all employees under a company must have an obligation to take care of their personal safety as well as their co-workers. This obligation includes taking extra precautions to prevent alcoholism in the workplace. Alcohol consumption and intoxication in workplaces can have detrimental effects. Moreover, this is especially true for safety-critical industries like construction, manufacturing, mining and transportation. Take a construction company, for example, one that works with heavy machinery; an employee under the influence could fall asleep on the wheel and cause workplace accidents. These industries should require constant alcohol tests from a certified employee. It means that a dedicated employee has passed an alcohol certification test to be an accredited sample collector for the workplace.

Having an accredited sample collector with proof of having passed an alcohol certification test ensures that the company’s alcohol policy is legit. In addition, employees that feel they are wronged or disgruntled because of testing positive for an alcohol test would have no grounds for legal action. Thus, protecting the company or business in terms of overall health and safety as well as unjust legal cases. Aside from a certified employee, companies should also use certified devices like the workplace breathalysers from Breathalysers Australia. 

The HLTPAT005 “Collect Specimens for Drugs of Abuse Testing” Alcohol Certification Test

The standard qualification required to become a certified alcohol tester for the workplace is the HLTPAT005 – “Collect specimens for drugs of abuse testing” training course. This training course also includes certification to become a drug tester in conjunction with becoming an alcohol tester. An individual would learn how to perform a saliva, urine, and breath alcohol test in this course. They would also be taught how to perform confirmation testing and chain of custody procedures. It includes experience in how to implement a drug and alcohol testing program. Moreover, they would also know how to educate the workforce. Several courses are available in Australia with online and face-to-face options. These facilities help individuals get nationally accredited for the alcohol certification test. 

Finishing the HLTPAT005 training course and the having passed an alcohol certification test qualify individuals to become:

• Workplace Drug and Alcohol Testing Officers
• Workplace Health and Safety Officers/ Advisors
• Supervisors, Managers, or HR Managers
• Pathology Collectors
• Head Security Officers

With the knowledge gained from the HLTPAT005 alcohol certification test, any of these roles can be able to develop strategies on:

• Creating a Workplace Drug and Alcohol Policy and Procedure
• Negotiation of a D&A program implementation during EBA periods
• Development of a D&A training course for management and workers
• Implementation D&A programs

Australian Standards in accordance with the HLTPAT005 Alcohol Certification Test

The HLTPAT005 alcohol certification test is nationally accredited and follows these Australian Standards:

• AS/NZS 4308-2008 – Procedures for specimen collection and the detection and quantitation of drugs of abuse in urine. This standard contains specific cut off levels for identifying amphetamines, THC (cannabis), benzodiazepines, cocaine/ metabolites, and opiates in urine samples.
• AS/NZS 4760-2019 – Procedures for specimen collection and the detection and quantitation of drugs in oral fluid. This standard contains specific cut off levels for identifying amphetamines, THC (cannabis), cocaine/ metabolites and opiates in saliva samples.
• AS3547:2019 – Breath Alcohol Testing Devices for Personal and Workplace Use. The objective of this Australian Standard is to specify the requirements for the performance, testing and marking of breath alcohol testing devices.

BACtrack Workplace Breathalysers at Breathalysers Australia

To complement qualified workers who have finished the HLTPAT005 alcohol certification test, utilising highly effective equipment should be a priority. A knowledgeable breath sample collector with the proper certification should be able to determine what devices are ideal for workplace breath testing. Accordingly, any certified collector would most likely find the selection of BACtrack workplace breathalysers at Breathalysers Australia one of, if not the most exemplary devices available.

These breathalysers have police-grade accurate fuel cell sensors that can only detect ethyl alcohol in breath samples. This type of sensor makes it so that Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) readings come back with the least likelihood of false-positive results. Moreover, these devices also feature a one-button operation that processes BAC results within 10 to 15 seconds. This feature makes back-to-back workplace alcohol breath testing fast and straightforward to use. Lastly, these devices also have low power requirements. It only needs a pair of AA batteries to be able to test up to 1,500 times. Thus, it is extremely useful for individuals with an alcohol certification test accredited background in a high-volume and safety-critical requirement industry.

Conclusion

With the increased availability of machines like the BACtrack workplace breathalysers at Breathalysers Australia, the need for certified testers has risen noticeably. It has become much more efficient and cost-effective to have a worker/ employee take the alcohol certification test from within the company. Having a certified worker also saves time when doing screening and testing. Moreover, it increases the frequency of tests performed within the work environment. Furthermore, having a trained individual would also increase the likelihood of noticing abnormal or irregular behaviours within the workplace. With all its advantages in mind, it dramatically outweighs its little to no disadvantages. 

A course like this would greatly help increase efficiency when using machines like the BACtrack breathalysers at Breathalysers Australia. It is because they can detect alcohol with high accuracy, reliability and cost-effectiveness. Therefore, the availability of technological advancements like these breathalysers and ease of access to an alcohol certification test has proven to have increased the frequency of tests done. Thus, it improves the company policies when tackling alcohol-related issues in the workplace. In conclusion, maintaining workplace health and safety has never become more effective and less time-consuming.