Alcohol Breathalysers

In recent times a lot of scrutiny has been placed upon the trucking industry in regards to the safety of other drivers and themselves. When an employee is pressured to meet a deadline, they can forget what is most important and therefore disregard their own or others safety. Unfortunately sometimes this means not ensuring they are completely sober before they get behind the wheel.

The ATA (Australian Trucking Association) has a Zero tolerance of driving whilst under the influence of alcohol and/or illicit drugs. It supports current road law limits of zero for drivers whilst driving a heavy vehicle in respect to drugs or alcohol. It also supports both random and evidence based targeted roadside alcohol and drug testing of drivers. It is evident that in order to tackle this issue head on, ongoing testing and monitoring of employees needs to be implemented.

Monitoring employees on a day to day, hour to hour basis is obviously a difficult task, especially when some businesses work from the road. An increasingly popular way to combat this problem is through the implementation of a car interlock system, also known as an Ignition Interlock Device. The Ignition Interlock Device is a handheld breathalyser mounted to the dashboard of a car and hooked up to the cars ignition. Before driving, the driver must breathe into the device so that it can gauge a BAC (blood alcohol content) reading. If the driver is within legal limits, the device allows the engine to turn over and start the car. However, if the driver does not pass the test, the car will not start. Once the car starts and it is on the road, the driver must periodically perform another breath test. If the BAC is an illegal level, the headlights will start flashing and the horn honking until the ignition is turned off. This ensures that the driver does not fool the device by having a sober friend blow into the machine before he or she drives away, as well as preventing the driver from drinking while driving. As most workplaces have a zero tolerance of alcohol, the Ignition Interlock Device provides the enforcer of the unit the capability to preset the acceptable level of alcohol.

Questions have been raised over whether involving breathalysing in the workplace is fair or whether it destroys an individual’s rights. However, who is to say that ensuring a workers safety and well-being is not providing a better environment on the roads and the workplace? There is a fine line between using privacy issues as a scapegoat and just plainly not wanting to be caught out.

So if you were to look for a breathalyser that you could deem reliable, what components would you look for? The key component to any breathalyser is accuracy. So invest in the best and only consider an Ignition Interlock Device that is Australian Standard approved. Breathalysers on the market today rarely guarantee such accuracy in a breath test. The Australian Standard AS3547 is only certified after rigorous quality assurance tests are carried out, so only look for Ignition Interlock Devices which have this standard. It will ensure the breathalyser has met strict requirements. p>

To improve safety on our roads and your workplace, a lot of things need to be considered. By introducing an alcohol tester into the workforce it eliminates one more problem and provides peace of mind. It’s a sensible investment to ensure a safe future environment for your employees.

The Andatech Car Ignition Interlock Fuel Cell Breathalyser FR9000 has Australian Standard AS3547 certified.

Originally published here.

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