Employee Drug Testing and Giving Space

Giving space is something that only a few people know how to do very well. When you have a forceful personality, like the author of this article, it is easy to simply get your way and move the forces of the company through nothing but your own personality.

Giving space to employees who need it is an art form, since some of them thrive on pressure and some of them thrive on creative license. Sometimes, it is about external and internal motivations. You cannot know how each individual employee will react to what you do, and it is very important to give space when space needs to be given.

It can free up a worker’s mind so that they get the job done three times as fast.

When such is not the case, they can feel cramped, bitterness or resentment, while the work is not getting done as fast as it could be, and while their freedom of movement and spirit are not being accommodated. After all, if you are in the flow of things at a job where you excel, you do not need such things as constant supervision or someone micro managing what you are doing.

The balance occurs when you realize what and how your subordinates are thinking, and you are able to match their concentration and understand their process of working. If you understand your worker, then you are far more likely to give them the room they need to go through their sometimes slow, sometimes methodical, but always thorough process.

CMM Technology helps you prepare your employees to be fit for duty. Employee drug testing is meant to weed out anyone who may be bringing down the productivity, morale, or safety protocol for any given business. That is why drug testing is even required by law in some industries. It is more important to have a safe workplace than an erratic one. Try our Lifeloc FC10 breathalyser devices, as well as our breathalyser recalibration service for any equipment you may already have and be using. And to learn how you can get drug test kits with built in adulterant tests, call CMM Technology today. 

 This article has been taken from http://cmm.com.au/articles/2013/employee-drug-testing-and-giving-space/

Easy Distribution Channels

CMM Technology distributes drug test equipment, such as our ToxSure saliva drug test and our Medix integrated pro-split cup 6+6, all over Australia. We carry our own alcohol breathalyser devices, like our Lifeloc FC10 device, and we also have a breathalyser recalibration service, which services even alcohol test equipment which you may already have.

Easy distribution channels make our products flow quickly and freely to all parts of Australia which may need or desire them. CMM Technology strives to provide businesses all over this great country of ours with top quality testing equipment. When this equipment is used, we feel that the drug testing industry as a whole has been strengthened. When you are looking for a test with a built in adulterant test, if you are looking for a line of equipment to supplement your employee drug testing, or if you are just looking to try new technological advances in screening equipment, you are in the right place.

For years, CMM Technology has contributed some of the best equipment available to the Australian market, and companies all over this country have eagerly snatched up our products and services, looking for a high quality service and searching for even better products than the ones they were using previously.

It is so important to state here that CMM Technology devotes itself to distribution and customer service. No matter how large or small your business is, we will be here to add value to it, sure as not.

It is so interesting how many individual are affected by our products, and how much service has changed the face of the drug screening industry. We mark our lines of easy distribution channels by seeing how much in demand our particular brand of quality is. At CMM Technology, we want to bring you the best so that you can do the most with your business. Let us show you how easy it can be with our user friendly drug test equipment. No one does it quite like we do. We are proud of our name and we are proud of our reputation. 

This article has been taken from http://cmm.com.au/articles/2013/easy-distribution-channels/

Drug Test Equipment and Outer Space

You would think that drug test equipment is only used on the earth. However, even astronauts are required to be extensively tested and to have extensive background checks performed on them before they are sent out into space in special situations, such as to a space station. It is of primary importance to see to it that they not only avoid endangering their own lives, but also the lives of their fellow astronauts…not to mention the billions of dollars worth of equipment which is being protected by them.

This is, of course, a huge responsibility. This is a lot of power for a few people to hold at one time in their lives, and they are required to work together in order to make the experience, which can last for months, a successful one.

In other words, drug testing can make or break a climbing career for a space jumper.

When dealing with drug test equipment, it is necessary to remember that humans are fallible and will not just take failure lying down. They want to have control over their lives, and if they cannot get this control over an addiction they may have, they will at least attempt to gain control over the urine drug test which is given to them. That is why an adulterant test is built right in to our Medix integrated pro-split cup 6+6, and which is why our other products, like our ToxSure saliva drug test, are so popular as well. After all, you must be able to control who is in charge of your important equipment, and who is not.

Drug testing is invaluable in this respect, because it is not based upon someone else’s opinion or a boss who is “out to get you.” Instead, scientific data must be super accurate, so that it does not trigger a false positive and ruin someone’s career unnecessarily, or trigger a false negative, and allow someone into power who cannot handle the pressure and responsibility. For more information on how to purchase our drug test equipment, visit our website or call CMM Technology today. 

This article has been taken from http://cmm.com.au/articles/2013/drug-test-equipment-and-outer-space/

Drug Screening and Easy Access

Isn’t it nice to have access to local pharmacies which allow you to use all kinds of headache medication, cough medicine, pain tablets, back soreness pills, and everything else under the sun without even needing to visit a doctor first? The ease of access of many seemingly harmless drugs makes the process of taking illicit drugs seem so much less dangerous. After all, if you have seen your parent taking drugs during the day growing up, and if you have had to take a fair amount of medication as a child when you were sick, things like heroin and crack do not seem like that big of a deal. You know what “drugs” mean. You know that it means something safe and good for you.

When your friends begin by downing cough medicine because of the methamphetamines in it, it does not seem like such a big deal. Then, they move on to pot, or marijuana, and they get to you try other things, like opium, or speed. It’s like a science experiment. There’s no wrong answer. It’s all just fun and games. No big deal.

It still doesn’t feel like a big deal when you get the urge to come back for more.

… At CMM Technology, we understand how easy access can make even full grown adults susceptible to very primal urges to feel good, feel better, and then feel the best. We understand how necessary it is to use employee drug testing as part of your regular business maintenance, and we know how important cost reduction is to you. We may not have the cheapest drug test kits and alcohol breathalyser devices around, but we do have the best ones. Our ToxSure saliva drug test and our drug test equipment with built in adulterant tests are top of the line. We know you’ll love doing business with us. We know that you will find our products to be strong, steady and reliable.

Not only are illicit drugs abused, but legal drugs are also abused a great deal. Alcohol can be consumed to get your spirits up before going to work. Do not let employees like this stay on with you. 

This article has been taken from http://cmm.com.au/articles/2013/drug-screening-and-easy-access/

Drinking Can Cause Fires

Alcohol is already a very flammable substance. When performing acts for the benefit of an audience, fire breathers often drink alcohol and then blow their breath near an open flame in order to appear as if they are blowing fire out of their mouths. Employee drug testing does not have to be this dangerous or this tricky, though. Saliva drug tests, urine drug tests, and alcohol breathalyser devices are all part of the drug test equipment which CMM Technology distributes throughout Australia. For breathalysers you are still using, we have a high quality breathalyser recalibration service.

Of course, all of this is meant to enable and encourage safety and respect while on the jobsite. This safety is compromised when a basic small office party or worksite celebration is set on fire due to all of the alcohol present and someone’s carelessness. The company is liable for the damage, since the fire was caused by an employee of your business. It is so important, therefore, that even in small, controlled celebrations, you have hired employees who know how to control themselves in the presence of alcohol. The only way to make sure of this is to use regular employee drug testing and breathalyser screening in order to make sure that your workers are in control of themselves all of the rest of the time. We are not suggesting that you are ultra-uptight about the process, or even that you should relax your drug testing standards for a while. Rather, we are stating that workers who exercise self control are more likely to prevent an accidental fire than ones who are used to allowing themselves more freedom than is reasonable while intoxicated or while in the presence of professional coworkers and clients.

A line, at some point, must be drawn, after all.

Try our oral fluid drug test and our breathalyser recalibration service so that you can get an overall view of how CMM Technology can make your workplace safer and more manageable all at the same time. You love your employees and the growth of your company. This is love by respecting their safety and protecting their assets in the business. Call CMM Technology today to order your drug test equipment. 

This article has been taken from http://cmm.com.au/articles/2013/drinking-can-cause-fires/

Doing Good Work in Bad Times

When you are busy gathering all of your resources to do good work, things like emotional upheavals, personal business, and coworker trouble can really mess you up concerning all of your good intentions to do your high quality job tasks.

Well, there is a way around this. Of course, no one is truly adapted to separating their minds from their emotions except as a survival skill, so unless you grew up in a dangerous home or you have dealt with a lot of people who engage in substance abuse in your life you will probably not like the way this separation feels.

However, the separation of the mind and the emotions is a necessary survival skill on the jobsite, for sure. There is no way around it. You cannot accomplish what you need to accomplish in your professional life if you are not able to turn off your emotions and adopt an unemotional, but still sincere, professional demeanor. This keeps work from affecting your personal life and it keeps you sane during your major working hours. It also helps regulate your own emotions so that you can easily adapt to new and formidable pressures, and so that you can take all of this with equanimity and freedom of emotion yourself.

Employee drug testing helps you to do good work in bad times. You see, when employees are required to be fit for duty and they must pass their screening tests to be considered so, you will find that they will raise their expected level of performance…or their function will fall more sharply. By setting the standard higher, you are requiring that your workers either make the cut or leave. Alcohol tests and drug testing are perfect for setting this minimum level of professional behavior, though as likely as not, you will also have standard company policies governing other forms of behavior.

Now, when you are administering your urine drug tests and alcohol breathalyser devices, remember that we here at CMM Technology will provide you with a breathalyser recalibration service and that we sell high quality drug test kits, too. 

This article has been taken from http://cmm.com.au/articles/2013/doing-good-work-in-bad-times/

Defending Your Place in Life

Anthropologically speaking, humans desire to fit into small groups where they truly feel comfortable and belong to more than being completely isolated and alone or being just another small part of a large crowd. This is proven by the fact that men seek to remain husbands and fathers, and women seek to remain mothers and keep their job at a small company where they are important, and children seek to form themselves into cliques, small groups of tight friends, or two or three very best friends.

All of these roles show how much one individual is needed in the group, and they show the individual how valuable they are.

It is therefore the preferred role to possess, and many people attempt to form connections with multiple small groups rather than a few connections with rather larger groups. People always need to feel important and necessary, and their lives often depend upon their hope for making a difference in someone else’s life in the future. Each person wants their mark to last upon this world. They want their fortunes to be changed and they want to change their fortunes. Ultimate control, and ultimate power over your destiny.

CMM Technology provides you with the means to determine who is employable in your company and who is not. Now, employee reviews and reports are all very well and good, but even sociopaths can possess a destructive addiction for many years, and no one else knows about it.

Employee drug testing and alcohol breathalyser devices really tap into this particular ability to discern information. Your company’s place in the business market must be upheld and drug test kits, along with onsite drug testing, are one of the best ways to ensure that it does. Our saliva drug tests show you the data which you need, while also being a very efficient way of utilizing drug testing technology. Now, for more information regarding what sort of products CMM Technology can deliver to you, you can look for more details on our website or you can give us a call today. 

This article has been taken from http://cmm.com.au/articles/2013/defending-your-place-in-life/

Craftsmanship

You do not often hear the word “craftsmanship” anymore. It is not something that tends to get thrown around, unless you are in advertising or you live in an Amish village and actually “craft” things by hand.

Today, we say things have a nice, sleek design or are very modern and cool looking. There is no artistry behind the object, or none that we can see. The word “craftsmanship” has an artist behind it. It tells us a story. It is indigo and red granite. It is that time you stayed up all night and watched the sun rise. It is that kick in the heart when you hear the national anthem sung by forty thousand people in unison.

 Craftsmanship is honor earned. It is true, because it is human. It is ours.

Today, craftsmanship does not have a reputation anymore. Today, we look at the numbers, notice our employee turnover and demand more drug testing. We demand to know why so many of our retained employees have tested positive once or twice on their screening tests. Should we change company policy in order to reduce employee turnover? Would that increase the turnover rate, instead? 

Perhaps we need to use different drug test kits. Let’s look online for a good company which distributes drug test equipment all over Australia.

 And we get on the computer. And we look up a company which might bring us better numbers. Craftsmanship? We turn our heads away and think about alcohol breathalyser devices. Who offers a breathalyser recalibration service? We’ll go with CMM Technology. They seem like a good company.

We ignore the word “craftsmanship.” It means nothing to us. We believe in our charts and our expense reports and our business bottom line and who is taking a vacation on what days. Is there someone who can come in and cover for them? Sure, there are few employees who can take their place while they are away with their families. What about the company taxes? Where is the latest tax report?

And little does anyone guess what craftsmanship was put into the drug testing products which will be delivered to your door from CMM Technology.

This article has been taken from http://cmm.com.au/articles/2013/craftsmanship/

Circles of Blame

During the course of your career, you will find many people who blame you for things and who you blame, as well. Now, blame is in itself not a bad thing. Sometimes, you need to hold people responsible for their actions and to make sure that they do their work and do not leave you in the lurch. Also, you may need to understand how your actions have affected others, so blame may be applicable to you.

However, many people, especially in leadership roles, view teams as teams, and they do not wish to hear how someone did their job while other people did not. Often, it is clear if there is an obvious winner or someone who has done a particularly creative thing, and this will come out over the long haul. The little things, however, need to be tamed into submission. There must not be pettiness and silly rivalries within a team. Each member must contribute what they do best.

In the case of our drug test equipment, CMM Technology feels like a member of a global team. We provide high quality drug test kits, like our Medix integrated pro-split cup 6+6, and alcohol breathalyser devices, such as our Lifeloc FC10 breathalyser, to businesses all over Australia. With our drug test equipment, these companies perform great transactions with other companies all over the world. There is a great spirit of trust and teamwork and leadership and self accountability which takes place. There is a lot of work that gets done. Time and labor and products are traded back and forth. The global community as a whole is well taken care of. Isn’t that what open trade agreements and cultural fellowship are about? Isn’t that what makes living in this unique world so wonderful? There are so many things to explore and do.

Let us make your business a safer place to work and to interact with other cultures from. Allow us the honor and privilege of helping you hold on to your way to further growth and more revenues. We are one of the leading companies in Australia dealing in drug testing equipment. 

This article has been taken from http://cmm.com.au/articles/2013/circles-of-blame/

Be a Team Player

In every big movie hit about any type of group effort, there are always problems between individuals until the team captain or office manager or whoever is in charge actually starts building the team together as a single unit.

Teams are powerful tools to utilize, since they can do what individual people cannot. The saying that two heads are better than one is almost always true, and team efforts can be really functional or really dysfunctional. When sending your staff in for employee drug testing, you obviously are not going to make many friends doing this. There is an inherent human resistance to being told what to do, and it is part of our culture to have a problem with too many privacy violations. However, it is still one of the most effective ways to cut down on liability due to employee negligence. For this reason, you would be hard pressed to find a better solution to accidents and injuries on the jobsite.

Our Medix integrated pro-split cup 6+6 is a great urine drug test which has an adulterant test built right in. This cuts cost and time when evaluating for any adulterants used when giving a urine sample. It’s an automatic test for cheaters.

You want your staff fit for duty. You want to be able to administer your saliva drug tests and breathalyser devices without worrying about the consequences. For that, you need reliable testing devices. Administering these tests is definitely part of being a team player. You are protecting a group of individuals who rely upon you to keep things neat and orderly. You make a difference in their lives in a positive way. This is part of working with a team, instead of against it. You cannot do better than that.

CMM Technology provides this high quality drug test equipment for your business, and we ship all over Australia. Any time you are looking to be a team player you are protecting and guarding company assets. Such active choices involve careful planning and forethought. In order to make things a little bit easier on yourself, call CMM Technology today and let us help with the equipment delivery. 

This article has been taken from http://cmm.com.au/articles/?p=3243

Taking the Negative Out of the Message

A series of studies have been conducted over the last couple years that have dealt with the effectiveness of public and other messaging intended to change behaviours. Targeted behaviours include teenage sex, smoking, binge drinking, youthful alcohol consumption, and of course, drug use. The results have a common theme: negative messaging is not effective. Employers can take away an important lesson from these studies that are applicable to the workplace. The lesson is this: negatively framed drug and alcohol policies are counterproductive.

There are two aspects to this discussion. First, a poorly written policy that is also ill-conceived will not be taken seriously by workers and could make the employer more susceptible to claims that the employer did not exercise proper duty of care should someone get injured or even killed on the job. Second, a negatively worded policy that comes across as threatening, such as implying immediate job loss or loss of pay should someone test positive for a substance as a result of a drug test or alcohol test, will be resented. In both cases, workplace morale is damaged.

Respectful and Helpful

Klinger, Limited in Australia, a manufacturer and distributor of gas and fluid sealing solutions and member of the Klinger Group of Independent Companies, posted their Drug & Alcohol Policy online. It is model policy in tone in that it first focuses on the policy benefits for workers. The purpose of policy begins with the statement that, “Klinger Limited aims to provide and maintain a workplace environment that not only protects the health and safety of all workplace participants whilst at work, but also facilitates a productive workplace.”1 In the next two statements, the policy points out that workers must treat each other respectfully to promote a safe and productive workplace and that workplace drug and alcohol use impairs the ability of workers to perform duties safely and efficiently for themselves and for co-workers, clients, and anyone else they interact with on the job.

The positive message is then reinforced with this statement, “The purpose of this Policy is to reduce the likelihood of injury, damage and/or other negative effects resulting from alcohol and/or drug use and/or abuse in the work environment.” Clearly, the company has developed a drug and alcohol policy that is meant to help workers succeed in the workplace and is not meant to serve as a disciplinary policy.

Interpreting Messages

Intimidating workers or making them fearful is not a good approach. The studies on messaging have proven that people do not respond well to negatively framed messages. A recent study reported in Psychology of Addictive Behaviors scientifically reinforced this fact. Conducted by researchers from Indiana University and Wayne State University in the U.S., neuroimaging techniques were used to examine how the brain of substance dependent individuals respond to public messaging that used negative phrasing like, “Drugs are bad for you,” and “Just say no,”. The researchers wanted to pinpoint how neural mechanisms involved in risky decision making responded to negative messaging. The results indicated that the area of the brain that typically assesses risk is functioning at a lower level in people who are dependent on substances. They interpret messages emphasising loss differently than someone who is not drug or alcohol dependent. The researchers plan on continuing their study of messaging and will now begin working on identifying how positive messaging influences neural mechanisms.2

It is a good idea to regularly review the drug and alcohol policy and ensure that it sends a positive message that maintaining worker safety, health, and productivity is the focus. The research already supports the fact that negative messaging can produce undesirable results and most likely will one day prove positive messaging stimulates neural networks in the right way.

The drug and alcohol policy should be well-written, begin on a positive note, and incorporate policies on random worker testing for substance use. CMM (cmm.com.au/) supplies stringently tested products that build worker faith in testing results through reliability and accuracy.

This article has been taken from http://cmm.com.au/articles/?p=3238

Making Safety and Health a Priority Promotes a Substance

In this discussion, a different perspective is taken for a moment. Instead of only considering worker behaviours, the discussion centres on employer behaviours. Though using drugs or alcohol in the workplace is a personal decision, albeit a poor one, the employer should understand that a drug and alcohol testing program should be a layer on a foundation of employee respect and fair management practices. The program is not something that is simply added without considering the organisational culture and how the program fits in it as a positive and supportive component to worker and business success.

 

All employers have a duty of care to protect the occupational health and safety of employees through management policies and performance. Many managers tend to view drug and alcohol testing as a legally required, standalone program, when it should be viewed in as a component of a larger safety and wellness program. The broad occupational health and safety (OHS) elements of business success include developing a system for managing OHS, differentiating between a policy and a procedure, integrating OHS planning with the business plan, allocating responsibilities and accountabilities to staff, and developing a system for communicating information to workers.1

A drug and alcohol policy and supporting testing procedures are integral to each one of these elements of business success as pieces of the larger picture. For example, there should be a well developed policy promoting a substance free workplace, a random drug and alcohol testing program that represents administration of the policies, clear definition of the role of drug and alcohol policies and procedures as a component of worker wellness and safety programs, staff training that ensures fair application of procedures and enhances a supportive workplace environment, and a worker training program for conveyance of the policies and procedures.

Employees as Stakeholders in Substance Free Workplace and Community

A simple way of looking at this concept is that a wellness program failing to address substance use and abuse as a health and safety issue is also failing to meet the elements of business success. In fact, successful businesses that embrace their duty to promote worker safety use a strategy in which employees act as role models and actively participate on safety committees and accept responsibility for developing and communicating ongoing training programs. The programs include educating workers on the safety risks associated with the use of drugs and alcohol. Engaging employees in a collaborative manner sends a clear message that workers are stakeholders in workplace safety and have a duty to follow safe work practices and procedures, and refusing to use drugs and alcohol in the workplace is one of those practices.

Beyond safety issues, the workplace is increasingly being viewed as a setting in which a large number of people can be exposed to health promotion activities that have community, and not just workplace, relevance. The reason is obvious – a large percent of the population is employed. Proponents of using the workplace as a public information intervention site argue that this approach assists employers with complying with occupational safety and health as much as it helps the broader community.

Taking a Broader View

For example, there is evidence in many cases that workplace factors contribute to high risk alcohol consumption. Employers are interested in exercising their duty of care and minimising harm, whilst public education programs aim to change behaviours and workplace environments. However, there is no single reason that can be named to explain why people over-consume alcohol and no single effective response. Patterns of alcohol consumption are tied to work and personal life; therefore, it makes sense to view the employer’s duty of care and workplace safety in the broadest sense.2

Perhaps in the final analysis, this is merely a sophisticated way of saying that work lives and personal lives intersect, so workplace education measures addressing alcohol and drug use makes perfect sense. The employer fulfils a duty of care, whilst promoting workplace safety and responsible community behaviour. The reward is a healthier workforce and a safer workplace, and both contribute to business success. Workers take their cues from employers, which means employers must clearly convey drug and alcohol policies and procedures which define performance accountability and management expectations. The message sent to employees must be absolutely clear: health and safety is a priority.

CMM Technology at cmm.com.au/ helps facilitate OHS and operational objectives by providing employers with quality drug and alcohol test supplies like the drug testing and the Oraline saliva tests. Random testing programs are simpler to administer when reliable testing supplies are used.

This article has been taken from http://cmm.com.au/articles/?p=3235

Online Drug Purchases Create New Worry for Employers

Controlling employee drug and alcohol use and developing employer drug and alcohol policies are two activities closely bound to managing worker privacy issues. There is arguably only one subject more complex than maintaining a drug free workplace in an age of high rates of substance abuse by the Australian population. That subject is balancing worker privacy rights with the employer’s need-to-know employee behaviours that may pose a threat to workplace safety. The issue of controlling drug use at the place of employment and maintaining employee privacy has taken on a new dimension in that people, including workers, are increasingly using their workplace internet access to purchase illicit drugs.

Buying drugs online is nothing new for the drug community. The Silk Road website, often called the “eBay for drugs”, and a number of global sites selling pharmaceuticals and synthetic drugs, are increasingly used by substance abusers as sources of illicit drugs. What sets Silk Road apart is the fact it uses masking or encryption software called Tor that makes it virtually impossible to track data. An employee using Tor can order illicit drugs online and have them mailed from overseas or delivered within Australia, and even technology wizards are unable to trace the order.1

Under the Radar

The “dark internet” is a secret network on the web in which people can operate under the radar, so to speak. It is so technologically sophisticated that the Australian Federal Police and a host of global law enforcement officials have been unable to locate the source or the founder who goes by the name of The Dread Pirate Roberts. Recently, a past Silk Road user discussed his experience. In a chilling interview with ABC News – Australia, Ryan West explained he would buy $300 of MDMA and resell it for $2,500 within a day. The drugs were ordered on a computer in his bedroom. The only reason he was caught was due to the fact he had a flourishing business selling the drugs out of his house. If he had bought them online and then posted the drugs when resold, there was a good chance he would have escaped detection.2

If people can simply install encryption software, should employers worry about employees using the workplace as a cover for the purchase of illegal drugs? The sobering answer is: Yes, they should be aware the potential exists. However, employers can protect themselves to a certain extent by developing privacy policies that address anonymous use of employer technology. The privacy policies are then integrated with drug and alcohol policies and strictly enforced using technology, internal controls, and random drug testing.

Small Company Policies Needed to Maintain Duty

Large corporations have the enterprise technology to block employee use of anonymous web proxies and all employee generated data is routinely monitored. Smaller companies often have limited technological capabilities, making it easier for workers to use workstations for the wrong activities. However, all employers need to develop privacy policies that support their duty to maintain a safe workplace. Though there is no common law right to privacy in Australia, the Federal Government has passed a Privacy Act that outlines guidelines for the collection and use of employee personal information and for keeping logs of web browsing activities by staff.3

It is important that smaller companies implement policies that adhere to the highest level the law allows and then train workers on those policies. For example, employees should know that their web browsing activities are logged and that a technical staff member is monitoring the log for all suspicious activity. Though the most technically savvy employees may be able to stay under the radar, most will not have level of knowledge needed to do so. If IT detects suspicious activity, the procedures should require immediate management notification. In addition, the small enterprise needs clear mail monitoring procedures. For example, an employer should retain the right to open any package addressed to an employee with the employer’s address.

Forbidden Activities

Of course, there must be a drug and alcohol policy and random testing program, which are essential to maintain a substance free workplace. As hard core substance abusers look for new ways to buy illegal substances, employers must adapt their policies and procedures. In the case of the dark internet, this means adding monitoring technology when possible and strengthening explicit policies on forbidden activities. Keeping workers informed on workplace monitoring and substance use policies, and potential consequences of policy violations, will promote a drug and alcohol free workplace.

Increasing sophistication of technology creates an imperative for employers, in that they must adapt their drug and alcohol policies to the current state of technology. One of the important steps in this process is adhering to a random drug and alcohol test program, which helps small businesses overcome technology budgetary restrictions. CMM Technology at cmm.com.au/ offers a variety of drug tests that can detect numerous drugs, including amphetamines and methamphetamines.

This article has been taken from http://cmm.com.au/articles/?p=3201

Drug Testing is Equally Important to Small Businesses

Alcohol and drug testing requires an investment in testing kits and screening services, so it is tempting for small businesses to postpone implementation. That decision can be a serious and expensive mistake. As is true for any financial decision, there must be a measurable Return on Investment (ROI). Implementing drug and alcohol test programs can save any size business a significant amount of money in a number of ways.

Not-So-Hidden Costs of Substance Abuse

One of the factors in the calculation of the Return on Investment for drug and alcohol testing programs is worker’s compensation. All businesses must have workers’ compensation. The rates are based on industry claims and wages experience, and in some insurance schemes, the actual experience of employers at each place of business. The exception is that a few jurisdictions allow self-insurance, but most companies that can afford to be self-insured are large employers. In cases where the employer fails to keep a policy of insurance in force, WorkCover will cover the expenses of an employee’s work related injuries or death but will most likely sue the employer to recover those expenses plus penalties and past due insurance premiums.

Workers, and legislatively deemed workers like miners and horse jockeys, are covered by worker’s compensation when at work, journeying to and from work, travelling for the employer, and/or whilst on break at or away from the work premises. Workers’ compensation covers work related injuries or impairment, occupational diseases, and work related death. The number of serious claims with one (1) week or more of incapacity represents staggering financial and productivity losses. In 2008-2009, the statistics are as follows: NSW (42,640); Victoria (24,130); Queensland (31,060); WA (12,670); SA (9,010); Tasmania (3,500); NT (1,290), ACT (1,640); and the Commonwealth (2,660); for a total of Australia (128,600).1

Small Business Workers Can Just as Easily Get Injured

What does this have to do with drugs and alcohol? Employees using drugs and alcohol are more likely to be injured at work. The size of a business has no relationship to the likelihood of a worker, who is under the influence of substances, experiencing an accident. It is estimated that drug-related accidents cost Australian workers approximately half of $1.6 billion annually. It is also estimated that 2% of Australians show up for work under the influence of alcohol.2 Random drug and alcohol testing can reduce the number of worker accidents, which lowers the industry and employer premium rates and increases the ROI.

A business can have 5 employees or 1,000 employers, and each worker using drugs or alcohol is more likely to have an accident, costing the worker and the employer. The cost of workers’ compensation is just one factor used in the Return on Investment calculation for alcohol and drug testing programs. Small businesses can also lower absenteeism rates and increase worker productivity levels by ensuring the staff is substance free.

The size of the staff is not only irrelevant, it is even more financially critical for small businesses to manage expenses as tightly as possible. Implementing a policy for a drug free workplace supported by workplace substance testing makes financial sense. The ROI far exceeds the costs of testing kits and screening costs.

The bottom line is that small businesses cannot afford to not do drug and alcohol testing. That is precisely why CMM Technology at http://cmm.com.au/ offers a variety of affordable testing equipment and screening services to fit all business sizes.

This article has been taken from  http://cmm.com.au/articles/?p=3193

Additive, Synergistic and Antagonistic Consequences

There are always consequences in life resulting from decisions made or actions taken. When that decision involves combining alcohol and drugs, the consequences as a whole are often greater than the parts. That is just another way of saying that alcohol or drugs produce reactions, but when used together the potential combined effects can be greater than those experienced when they are not mixed.

Employers managing workplace drug and alcohol testing programs should be aware of certain terms that are used to categorize multi-substance interactions – additive, synergistic and antagonistic. The types of interactions are due to the mixing of drugs or the mixing of drugs and alcohol. The drugs can be legal prescription or non-prescription drugs or illegal drugs.

Additive – Alcohol potentiates or enhances the effects of drugs so the net effect is the sum of the effects from alcohol and the enhanced effects of the drugs

Synergistic – Alcohol used with the drug creates a drug effect that is greater than the sum of the effects from alcohol and the drugs

Antagonistic – Alcohol used with a drug creates a drug effect that is diminished

The actual affects of mixing drugs and alcohol are only predictable up to a point. For example, it is known that hallucinogens lead to altered perception of the senses. However, the senses most profoundly impacted and the severity of the hallucinations is different from person to person. When alcohol is added, the variability of effects is expanded, making them even more difficult to predict. This means that the risks to workplace safety are greatly increased when workers take legal or illegal drugs and also drink alcohol.

Three Times Dangerous

Last year, scientists conducted a study on the effects of alcohol on drugs in the body. They reported in Molecular Pharmaceutics that alcohol could make some prescription and non-prescription medicines three times more available to the body. It accomplishes this by changing how substances and enzymes in the body interact with the medications. In other words, in some cases workers mixing alcohol and drugs are taking the equivalent of three drug doses as a result of drinking alcohol. There are over 5,000 legal drugs in the marketplace, meaning it is almost impossible to learn every possible type of interaction that may occur.1

Of course, illegal drugs are often even more potentially hazardous for a lot of reasons, like the fact they have an unknown chemical composition due to lack of controls. No one really knows for sure what is being ingested when taking street drugs. There are some known likely interactions though, and they can seriously affect the ability of workers to remain alert, coordinated, and functional.

For example, alcohol increases the sedative effect of marijuana and opiates. Alcohol can increase the absorption rate of benzodiazepines, while also intensifying the depressant effect of the drugs on the Central Nervous System (CNS). The worker will likely experience a delayed reaction time, poor coordination, impaired memory, and aggression. Alcohol mixed with opiates like heroin can also increase the depressant effects on the CNS. Mixing barbiturates and alcohol creates a high potential for overdose because both substances can seriously depress the CNS, lowering consciousness. The additive effect means that the combined effects of alcohol and sedatives on the CNS are greater than the effects of each of the substances alone. Workers drinking alcohol and taking legal anti-anxiety, anti-depressants or muscle relaxants are more likely to get sleepy and dizzy, increasing the risk of having a work accident.2 Clearly, it is important to test workers for multiple drugs and alcohol.

Unpredictable Results Threaten Workplace Safety

In many cases, the results of mixing alcohol and drugs are just not predictable. Alcohol and benzodiazepines or opioids can lead to an additive or synergistic effect. It simply depends on the person. Alcohol mixed with cocaine can have an antagonistic or additive affect. In addition, stimulant drugs can lead to increased drinking because they mask the effects of alcohol. A person may not recognize how drunk he or she is getting and will continue drinking. Alcohol mixed with methamphetamine masks the effects of meth, making the person more likely to overdose on the drug.

Alcohol affects the way medications are metabolised, and mixing any drugs and alcohol is always dangerous. Drug and alcohol testing performed in the workplace is the only way to effectively maintain a substance free facility. The growing number of people combining drugs and alcohol (polydrug use) means it is important to do both types of testing.

CMM Technology (http://cmm.com.au/) offers employers a wide range of alcohol and drug testing equipment and testing kits to cover all types of work locations. They include breathalyzer, the Lion Alcoblow, saliva drug tests, urine drug test, and many others.

This article has been taken from http://cmm.com.au/articles/?p=3186

Taking Advice with Class

Taking advice with class and dignity is extremely hard to do. Why is it so difficult? Mostly, it is hard because you are likely to slide off in one of two directions, rather than staying the straight course of classiness.

The first road of error is, of course, in not being able to take advice to any useful extent. While a person, not being overly sensitive, can see the error of their ways, it may be really difficult for them to not take it personally or to not see it as something which they need to really self deprecate on. This is unfortunate, since self discovery can be an enjoyable experience if it is not accompanied by self condemnation.

The second road of error is in not being able to discern between good and bad advice. With good advice, the mistake is made in pretending to listen or to be about to follow it, but dismissing it as something which doesn’t apply to you. With bad advice, the mistake is in accepting all advice is good and proper and constantly being blown around by the wind this way and that way. It takes a lot of stupidity and lack of life experience and lack of discernment to be that unable to tell the difference between good and bad advice. You must be able to determine what news and information you will follow, and what does not apply to your specifically or to your circumstances objectively.

Companies pay a lot to find employees who are this level headed.

Unfortunately, sometimes idiots slip through the cracks. When this happens, it opens up the solid workplace to people who have no qualms about bending the rules a little more and more each day, and then break them altogether. The final result will be an individual who feels okay with defrauding the company and lying to your face, still thinking of it as “bending the truth” a little bit.

Employee drug testing has eliminated the majority of these employees, since irresponsibility goes hand in hand with addiction and other forms of self destruction. That is why CMM Technology provides drug test kits and LifeLoc FC10 to your company and to businesses all over Australia, so that your screening tests are the highest quality available. You want your staff to be fit for duty and you want them to be able to take advice with class. Help them with their objectives and with yours.

This article has been taken from http://cmm.com.au/articles/?p=3175

High Energy Workout when Motivation is Low

Often, large companies employ the use of an exercise room so that employees can exercise and stay fit during, before, or after the work day. When motivation is low, this is one of the best ways to vamp it back up again. High energy workout is great for raising motivation for a couple of reasons.

First, it helps employees who are in danger of not being fit for duty. Rather than utilizing their body’s natural endorphins, they may be tempted to abuse illicit drugs during or prior to working, and this can put your company assets and your other employees and even customers at risk. Working out in a company gym is great for producing natural endorphins and hormones within the body, rather than relying upon illicit drugs to create this effect. It gives employees who are frustrated or stressed or in any way afraid a place to go to and work on their bodies and their internal chemical structure. It is more helpful than many people think, since it is not just exercise, but it is a way to chemically, even molecularly, alter both the body and the mind, making them both fit and active and strong.

Second, when motivation is low at work, it is often because of a lack of challenge or a lack of change. While work, by default, changes over time, long periods of repetition can make an individual feel unchallenged and listless. High energy workouts are perfect for these times in between challenges when someone can feel unmotivated. They force an individual to feel the challenge of the work, without needing to change jobs every two or three years. This, in turn, lowers employee turnover, which is more cost effective for the company.

CMM Technology also brings a third element to motivation. Testing for illicit drugs or alcohol in the workplace is great for detecting employees who have given up their desire to improve and hone their skills. Our oral fluid drug test and our recalibration service are both highlights of our company. We are proud of what we do for morale. Call us today.

 This article has been taken from http://cmm.com.au/articles/?p=3152

Gearing Up in the Morning

When a business gears up in the morning, it must go through a regimen to attach yesterday’s data with today’s goals. In large, well run companies, this regimen is systematised and employees do a daily morning routine when they come in for work. They check everything for news or updates, such as their email or Skype accounts, they work through any leftover data or tasks that were part of the previous work day, they have their morning meetings and look for everyone who they know and greet them, and they set up their work for that day.

Gearing up in the morning is part of everyone’s daily schedule and regular activities. It is a ritual and necessary preparation for the day, getting clothed, washing the body, updating the mind with morning news, looking at the day’s tasks, and so on. Now, this preparation is part of employee drug testing. When companies implement screening tests to see if their workers are fit for duty, they are employing a preparation or getting ready technique. They are preparing their office or jobsite or other type of workplace for the day’s activities, and they are doing so by making sure that all of their employees are clean and drug free. This is necessary to the survival of the business. This is necessary to the survival of your employees’ jobs. If one, even just one, of them is affected by alcohol or illicit drugs, then they are putting themselves and all of their coworkers and anyone around them in danger. They are defrauding the company as a whole, and are a loss to your assets specifically. If left untested, employees can act any way they like or do anything they like, and they do not have to answer for their actions and they do not have to take responsibility for them.

That is a dangerous situation to have.

CMM Technology provides drug test kits to businesses throughout Australia, as well as offering breathalyzer devices and recalibration services to these companies as well. That is an excellent way to gear up in the morning. That is an excellent way to prepare for future success. Call CMM Technology today.

This article has been taken from http://cmm.com.au/articles/?p=3147

Control Temperament

Temperament is a person’s inherent nature regarding themselves and the world. It is not so much their personality as their more primal nature. It depicts who they are underneath their public persona and underneath the attitude which they show in their private lives.

Controlling temperament in your employees is really important for one reason. Underneath the professional veneer, there are many different types of temperaments and people are not always what they seem to be. It is this exact fact which has led many scientists to try studying humans on a bit more of a statistical basis. If humans can be broken down into a complex system of various predictable patterns, then surely behavior can be predicted and many employees can be vetted by simply having them take a test.

Of course, this is not entirely possible to do with our current technology. The vast mix of humans and behaviors and histories and patterns give this task such an impossible goal, and whoever is implementing the tests such a degree of arrogance over his or her fellow man, that simpler means are necessary.

This is why employee drug testing is so popular today. It is used over and over again by various companies to deduce who is abusing drugs and alcohol in the workplace and who is clean. This, after all, can be scientifically deduced, as opposed to the crazy personality quiz given above.

CMM Technology provides the drug test equipment and personal breathalyzer devices to accomplish such lofty goals. In fact, our whole purpose is to make business in Australia more efficient and more effective. How can you do business when such specific, yet dangerous, questions about your employees are left open ended? You must have this data. You must be able to control the temperament, if not the personality, of all of your employees. To this end, we have even designed drug test kits which have built adulterant tests to check for cheating. Our oral fluid drug test is especially popular, since it does not involve going to the toilets to conduct the test. To find out more about our urine drug test, too, call CMM Technology today.

This article has been taken from http://cmm.com.au/articles/?p=3141

Assurance against Adulterants

Adulterants are effects which can mess up a smoothly running system, like urine drug tests. Working with adulterants can help any person understand the effect that they can have upon this smoothly operating system. Thankfully, CMM Technology provides urine drug tests which are able to detect adulterants, which is not something which every drug test can do. Sometimes, companies give a certain limit on the number of times which employees can abuse drugs, but in Australia, under the ‘Duty of Care’ laws, businesses are responsible for employees who become intoxicated or high while on the job and then cause an accident, even if it is right after leaving work. At this point, the business must spend time and money to insure that employees who are under the influence are driven home.

Talk about a costly decision, one way or the other. You must find a replacement, but the employee in question has already replaced themselves with someone who will take their own job seriously.

It is this attention to detail which defines a great company. Your employees must be fit for duty. Alcohol tests define a certain necessary parameter on the abuse of AOD, alcohol and other drugs. Something like a breathalyser test can be really handy for a company, and we at CMM Technology also provide a breathalyser recalibration service. Urine drug test is popular, though saliva drug tests are becoming increasingly popular. Screening tests must have a certain amount of validity, not only with the tests but with the company distributing these tests, and that is why we are so proud of our reputation. Try our ToxSure saliva drug test if you are looking for some high quality saliva drug test options. It is important to remember that we at CMM Technology only distribute the best equipment to companies, and we want to make sure that you are using our equipment, and not someone else’s inferior drug test equipment. For more information about ordering from us, call us today. 

This article has been taken from http://cmm.com.au/articles/?p=3093