This course will cover the alcohol testing in the workplace with the Drager 7510 breathalyzer. It will cover alcohol limits, tolerances, best practice procedures, testing methods and handset operation.
Lessons
7510 – Introduction
7510 – A brief history of Breathalyzers
Welcome to your Approved Alcohol Testing Officers Course. Before we introduce you to your breath alcohol testing equipment, let’s first look at some of the background and history behind the Breathalyzer! The first breathalyzers were developed in 1953 by chemists working for Draeger. They created the beginnings of the device, the morning…
7510 – Blood Alcohol VS Breath Alcohol
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….
7510 – Alcohol Measurements and Readings
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…
7510 – The Drink Driving Law
Free PreviewIn December 2014, the Drink Driving limit in Scotland was reduced to 22µg of alcohol per 100ml breath. You may also have seen it in the media expressed in its blood alcohol limit of 50mg/100ml (0.05%BAC). This is the same limit for Ireland. Ireland also have a lower limit again for…
7510 – Drink Driving Limits Across Europe
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. Remember when we explained how the partition ration can vary…
7510 – Testing in the workplace
So why are you thinking of testing in the workplace? There are many benefits to screening employees for alcohol use in the work place, including the following: – Safer environment for employees – More productive employees – Increased staff attendance – More alert and efficient staff – Better cause of incident awareness…
7510 – Breathalyzer Measurement Conditions
Prior to performing a breath test, 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 breathalyzer and reduce the service life of the sensor. No solvent…
7510 – Mouthpieces
This is the mouthpiece that is used with the Draeger AlcoTest range of breathalysers. It comes hermetically sealed for hygiene. There is a brief explanation of the various attributes listed below: Sampling port– is where the sample is taken into the device. Both are used for the 7510 breathalyzer…
7510 – Powering your handset
Your Breathalyzer is powered by Alkaline batteries (1.5 V Mignon LR6, AA) and you can expect around 500 tests per set of batteries. The handset will show a Battery symbol as below indicating the charging status. Your handset will also have an internal battery used to retain the sample data and date/time…
7510 – The Breathalyzer
If possible have your device on you now to use the images below to familiarise yourself with the features. For easy release of the mouthpiece you can push the mouthpiece release up. The I.R. (Infra Red) is on the left hand side of…
7510 – Operation
If you have your breathalzyer with you, follow the steps below with your breathalyzer. Steps to retrieving a breath test result. To produce a test with no data entry 1. Turn your 7510 on by pressing and holding the Green ‘OK’ button. 2. Apply a mouthpiece to the breathalyzer. 3. For…
7510 – Print out
The Draeger Printer This printer works with multiple Draeger devices including the Drugtest 5000. It has two Infra Red Ports. One on the top face next to the green ON/OFF button and one on the right hand side. The one you will be using with your 7510 is the one…
7510 – Passive Test
To receive an accurate breath reading on your breathalyzer you will use the Automatic sampling method as shown in the last lesson. However there is another option set up on your breathalyzer, Passive sampling. Passive sampling can be used for any of the following purposes; To test whether or not there are solvent…
7510 – Menu Options
You can access the menu on the 7510 by pressing the down/m button once the device has been turned on. From here you can access last tests and scroll through to be able to re-print these off. You can also check the last calibration date and know when the next…
7510 – Approvals and Calibration
Approvals The 7510 breathalyzer has worldwide approvals making it the UK’s most reliable and recognised breathalyzer for workplace testing. The 7510 has the following approvals: UK Home office Approval – Suitable for use by the UK Police force OIML & FAA RF Class 6 Approval NHTSA – National Highway Traffic…
7510 Summary and Assessment
You have been taken through an introduction to Alcohol testing with your 7510 breathalzyer. By now you should be familiar with the UK limits, testing practice and use of the 7510 breathalzyer. You should understand the difference between measurements for UK limits. You should have a good understanding of the…