Alcohol and drug testing is vital to reduce injuries and risk on site

Press release:  Alcohol and drug testing is vital to reduce injuries and risk on site 

Alcohol and drug consumption is on the rise and not only does it impact the individual and their families, it can also impact their employer and place of work.  Working whilst inebriated or under the influence of drugs can result in accidents and even death. 

Says Rhys Evans, Director at ALCO-Safe, experts in drug and alcohol testing solutions, “Companies must go back to basics and look at creating drug and alcohol policies as the foundation and ensure their employees are educated on the risks of consumption whilst at work. The purpose is to create a responsible attitude whereby it is still acceptable to consume alcohol in moderation yet highlight the risk of consuming drugs or alcohol in a work environment. The second phase is to implement regular drug and alcohol testing, before the employee or contractor enters and leaves the work premises.”

This is particularly important to the mining industry as it assists to not only reduce the risk of accidents, it also improves productivity. Response rates are slower when alcohol is consumed and reflexes are dulled. In general, the person works more slowly and introduces a host of dangers to the working environment. It is therefore vital for mining houses to implement alcohol and drug testing. After all, it is a requirement of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

There are a number of alcohol and drug tests available that are suited to different environments. For example, the Lion AlcoBlow RapidTest from ALCO-Safe delivers a fast, accurate ‘pass or fail’ result where large numbers of employees need to be tested, perfect for mining environments. Furthermore, it uses only a tiny sample of breath, without the need for physical contact between the subject and the instrument. It can also be used in both Active and Passive modes to ensure all employees can be tested quickly and efficiently, and that suspicious liquids can be checked for the presence of alcohol. 

There are also a variety of drug testing kits available including urine and saliva tests. Each have their own pro’s and con’s which must be assessed to establish which is best.  They are available in dip tests where strips are dipped into a urine same and can obtain readings for testing a single drug or a range of commonly abused drugs. Another form factor is the cassette test, which is a multi-drug test that requires the operator to use a pipette to drop a urine sample into each window for testing. Integrated cup tests are also available, which incorporate the test panel into the sample cup. The cup tests are extremely popular as they have additions such as thermometer strips built in to check the urine is at body temperature. 

However, urine testing is not suitable for all applications. Due to the need for privacy, females must be tested by females, and males by males. In addition, toilets may not be readily available. For applications where urine testing is not possible, saliva testing provides a convenient option.
Saliva testing uses a swab to produce results in a matter of minutes, and can be used to screen for a panel of five common illegal substances including heroine (Nyaope), cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamines, which include substances such as tik, ecstasy and khat. 

The latest development from ALCO-Safe is its key management solutions that incorporate breathalysers, ensuring no driver give access to vehicle keys or keys to a sensitive area if alcohol is detected in their system. This decreases the chance of accidents and enhances security.  
ALCO-Safe delivers all of these solutions and is an expert in its field as the company focuses purely on delivering alcohol and drug testing solutions as well as the services such as training and calibration.  They embark on a journey with its clients’ from formulating policies through to providing support at CCM cases once the necessary equipment and procedures are in place. 

Whatever the requirement, it is always important to engage with a company that understands the unique challenges to specific industries such as mining. They should also be involved in assisting organisations to develop their policies, ensuring they are fair and reasonable, whilst assisting to educating the workforce.  

ALCO-Safe
Rhys Evans
Managing Director
Tel: 012 343 8114
Email: rhys@alcosafe.co.za

Evolution PR
Nthabiseng Mokoena
Tel: 011 462 0628
Email: nthabiseng@evolutionpr.co.za