Alcohol in the blood (liquid) and alcohol in breath (gas) are two different entities and are therefore measured differently. There is a formula which can be used to establish the ratio between to the 2 different measurements. Known as Henry’s Law, it specifies: “the quantity of a substance in a liquid (eg….

As learnt in the last lesson, the measurements for a breath alcohol reading and blood alcohol reading are different, but imply the same level of impairment. BrAC – Breath Alcohol Concentration A gas concentration. This can be displayed in microgrammes of Ethanol per 100ml of breath eg 35 µg/100ml (the current…

England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Malta have the highest drink driving limits in all of Europe. Most other European countries not only have a much lower limit, they also have a lower limit again for commercial vehicle, novice and learner drivers.   Road Traffic Act 1988 Section 4 of the Road…

Prior to performing a breath test, having completed the best practice procedure form for alcohol testing, there are several factors to consider: Contamination It is imperative to wait at least 20 minutes after smoking, eating or drinking.  Residual mouth contamination (for example from mouthwash) can give false readings, damage the accuracy of…

The Lion Alcometer range of devices have been in use with law enforcement and commercial health and safety programs for many years.  Today we will look at the Lion Alcometer 500.   1 – The disposable mouthpiece is supplied packed in individual hygienic wrappers.   The mouthpieces are re-useable but for…

The AlcoDigital EON is an evidential breathalyzer with European Approval for Professional Use. As with all Sentech devices this breathalyzer is very easy to use and navigate. If you have your EON breathalyzer on you now, use the image below to familiarise yourself with the features. LED warning lights  –…

The Alcodigital AlcoSaber is a unique breathalyser ‘wand’ designed for alcohol screening.     It is ideally suited for use in situations where rapid testing of large quantities of people with minimal intrusion is required – for example, site entrances, roadblocks and entrances into safety-critical environments. Its unique LED light…

The Dräger Ignition Interlock.   An alcohol ignition interlock is a breathalyzer with a vehicle immobiliser. The settings on the alcohol ignition interlock device make the person unable to start the engine if an alcohol reading above a set limit is produced from a breath test. There are many benefits…

The Worksober Wall-mountable device is more than just a clock-in, clock-out device. There are many different ways in which is creates an alcohol free workplace and there are many high tech features built in. Key features include: Facial Recognition Alcohol testing – EN Certified Real time data reports Fully configurable…

In order to understand drug testing in the workplace – and to be able to confidently answer questions from people you are testing – it is important to have a basic understanding of the different types of drugs and the effects they have on the user. Everybody ingests ‘drugs’ on…

Stimulants such as Amphetamines or Cocaine provide the user with an enhanced state of alertness, speeding up physiological processes within the body by stimulating the central and nervous systems. Over-use can lead to lack of appetite and problems sleeping; high doses can cause increased blood pressure and heart rate, leading to…

Sedatives cause a physiological slowing of the bodies responses by modulating the bodies nervous system, and can be used to produce a calming effect to aid anxiety or sleep issues. They come in various forms with alcohol being the most common and widely used legally sedating drug. Misuse of sedatives can lead…

The third type of drug that causes impairment are classed as the hallucinogenics.  They are, by and large, very powerful drugs but because of this they are usually taken in infinitesimally small amounts – small squares of paper that a person simply licks can induce dramatic levels of impairment. Because these substances…

Drug Screening is not just about illegal substances – impairment caused by the use of prescriptive drugs by the workforce is an issue that cannot be ignored. Prescription drugs contain a wide range of substances from the drug groups we’ve just reviewed, and whilst given to the user by a medical practitioner…

There are various different ways to screen a person for drugs, depending on what information it is that you are looking to find. For pre-employment screening, then Hair Sampling is a suitable choice as it gives historical data on exactly what a person has consumed.  It is however highly invasive…

Of  the various different methods that can be used to detect drugs of abuse, in an employment scenario the key issue is current impairment rather than historical drug use.  Therefore oral fluid collection is now almost universally accepted as the most suitable ‘on-the-spot’ indicator of drug use. The main reasons…

The DrugCheck 3000 is a disposable drug testing kit that takes a saliva sample and provides screening results for 6 different drug categories. How does it work? The technique of testing is called competitive immunoassay. This is where the potential drugs contained in the sample compete with drugs on the…

Before opening the DrugCheck 3000, you must check that it is in date – this can be found on the outer packaging and it is valid until the end of the month detailed.   Once opened, the DrugCheck 3000 should be used immediately. In order perform a drug test, complete the…

So you have had a positive on your screening test.  Now it’s time to do a Laboratory Confirmation test in order to verify the results of the screening test. Be Timely The chain of custody procedure is a follow-up test to a positive result on a saliva screening device. It…

The Step by Step Checklist must be followed meticulously. Each step is important so as to not break the chain of custody. Missing a step could cause the test to be invalid and the lab may refuse to test it. Once you are ready to begin, remove the water you…

The Laboratory Chain of Custody pack comprises of:   A Chain of Custody form with carbon duplicates Two Quantisal Collection packs (each containing a transportation tube with buffer solution, and a collection device) A pre-paid envelope The lab test kits are to be used IMMEDIATELY after someone has tested non-negative…

Congratulations – you have now reached the end of your online refresher! The next section is the final assessment, so please now take the time to make sure you are ready. You can go back and review any information now if you wish, before starting the assessment. Please click “VIEW…