Drug and Alcohol Testing and the Weather

The weather has a lot to do with our mood and how we hold up during confrontation or stress of any kind. Neurobiologists have found that serotonin and dopamine, the exciters, endorphins and feel-good, calm-down indicators of our moods are both highly increased during warm, pleasant sunny weather. In fact, as long as it is not unreasonably hot, warm weather is one of the most ideal conditions by which humans measure their good mood throughout the day. Sunshine has been proven scientifically as absolutely necessary to the reproduction of cells, and this includes all types of cells, including stem cells. This means that, the more sunshine you receive during the day, the more likely you are to be reproducing healthy cells.

Now, sunshine is not liked by everyone. There are some people who prefer cold weather or rainy conditions, and these people are more likely to become unreasonably hot during pleasantly warm conditions. This could be due to several things, including but not limited to overactive thyroid or parathyroid, inflamed muscles or tissues, or being overweight and overheating easily. People who overheat easily tend to be somewhat immune to cold weather and feel more active and social during cold weather when their bodies are operating under prime temperatures. However, the majority of people do better in warm balmy sunny weather, and this is generally due to the sunshine and fresh air they receive in abundance when they spend a great deal of time outside. It is not so much about their preferred weather conditions, as it is about the chemical and serotonin production within their minds and muscles.

Workplace drug testing improves personal responsibility, which helps to create similar feelings of endorphins, much like the ones we experience when exposed to warm direct sunlight. Employee drug and alcohol testing improves personal accountability for actions on the jobsite, which in turn improves feelings of self confidence and accomplishment. These feelings of accomplishment are important for internal motivation on the jobsite. Internal motivation is one of the highest qualities an employee can possess. Employee drug testing is a huge benefit in the workplace, both directly and indirectly. 

When Reasonable Suspicion Suggests Drug and Alcohol Testing is needed

 pre screening, breathalyser calibration

There is a term called Reasonable Suspicion drug and alcohol testing.  Also referred to as For Cause or Reasonable Belief, these terms refer to a situation where substance testing is done based on a belief that an employee currently is using or has been using alcohol and/or drugs in violation of company policies. The belief forms as a result of a series of observations of employee behaviours on the job leading to the employer making inferences based on those observations.

The Reasonable Suspicion concept is different from random drug testing. Random drug testing involves testing designated groups of employees based on a random schedule with the goal of identifying alcohol and drug use in the workplace. Reasonable Suspicion testing, on the other hand, is based on observed worker characteristics that would lead a reasonable person to conclude there may be alcohol or drug induced impairment.

What constitutes Reasonable Suspicion is a thorny question because there is always an element of vagueness or a degree of latitude in deciding if a person should be alcohol and drug tested.  False accusations can create a lot of distrust of the employer in the future or lead to charges of harassment. That is why the supervisor must be very careful about identifying and documenting Reasonable Suspicion due to behaviours or appearance that is based on:

·                 Physical condition

·                 Unusual behaviour

·                 Mental alertness

Unfortunately it is still not a simple task because people may perform poorly at work or even act oddly for a number of reasons. For example, someone may have fatigue or working conditions have caused worker stress. It is for these kinds of reasons that Reasonable Suspicion is a contentious issue for many people, but the fact is that the overriding issue is safety of the employee, co-workers and other company stakeholders including the customers.

·                 Should apply to employees performing safety sensitive jobs

·                 Should not be applied based only on an employee’s job title

·                 Observations leading to Reasonable Suspicion must be specific and particularly

·                 Represents a suspicion that any prudent and cautious person would have given the behaviour or appearance of the employee

The Reasonable Suspicion process involves 3 steps – identification, gathering evidence, and testing. The identification phase includes the observation of work performance, behaviours or appearance. For example, the employee may have aggressive behaviour, has difficulty walking or is now unable to perform job duties that were properly handled in the past.

The evidence must then be documented. The documentation is the written record that explains what was witnessed and/or the patterns of behaviour that indicates someone is impaired. The evidence must be specific, verifiable by independent sources, and concrete. For example, a supervisor may document an unusual number of on-the-job accidents coupled with observations of mood swings that include unpredictable bursts of anger. The documentation should include the names of any witnesses, the time and dates of the occurrences and any other observations that support the Reasonable Suspicion.

The evidence needs to be strictly facts and not opinions, and the facts should focus on safety in the workplace. Once the facts are documented, they can then be presented to the employee and the employee asked to submit to a drug and alcohol test.  At that point the employer would rely on tests like the urine drug test or the breathalyser and Oraline Saliva tests to prove or disprove alcohol and drug use.

Reasonable Suspicion is not something that can be defined with one list of behaviours or observations because each set of circumstances will be different depending on the workplace and the employee. It does represent a responsibility of the employer in the efforts to keep the workplace safe.

CMM Technology offers a variety of quality drug and alcohol testing equipment that will play an important role in the administration of the workplace testing program. Testing in a way that meets Australian standards is critical for proving the validity of a Reasonable Suspicion.

Debunking Common Drug Testing Myths

It seems that as each day passes, a new myth is born about how a person can pass or fail a drug test. Not only are many of these myths completely untrue, but some of the more popular ones are actually dangerous. Obviously, the most effective way to pass a drug test is not to take drugs and the methods of cheating the system that are to follow are about as ridiculous as they come. From drinking an excessive amount of certain fluids to overdosing on over the counter medications, be wary of the many attempts that people will make to hide the fact that they are doing drugs.

Marijuana is the most common drug that people will try to cover up in a drug test, and due to the fact that THC attaches itself to fat cells, it is virtually impossible to disguise the presence of THC in a urine sample. A common myth is that drinking an excessive amount of water will help flush the THC out of a person’s system. In reality however, all that drinking a lot of water will do is dilute the test and allude to the fact that the person is trying to cheat the system. Vinegar and pickle juice yield the same result as water while dehydrating the person’s body in the process.

An extremely dangerous method of passing pre screening recently is to take an overdose of aspirin. Overdosing on aspirin will not help anyone pass a drug test and it can actually cause kidney and liver failure if the overdose is severe. Other myths have circulated that taking ibuprofen will result in a positive drug test result. The moral of the story is that over the counter pain medications don’t influence urine or saliva drug test in any way.

Finally, be very wary of the cleansing systems that are advertised on the internet. These systems are advertised to flush all of the toxins out of a person’s system and, as a result, clear the urine of all traces of drugs. However, THC metabolite stays in our fat cells and will continue to come out in our urine for anywhere between days to months. Cleansing systems may be very good for cleaning out our digestive tracts, but they are no way to pass a drug test.

Lastly, urine and saliva drug tests will pick up any trace of drug metabolite in a person’s system. However, to test positive for drugs, an individual must exceed a cutoff point that eliminates the possibility of having contact with a drug through a friend or family member. For this reason, common fears that coming in contact with marijuana smoke will cause a positive drug test result are unfounded.

If you have any more questions about the accuracy of drug testing or to find out more about CMM Technology’s drug testing products, please contact us at +618-9204-2500 or email us atinfo@cmm.com.au .

Alcohol Testing Australia, Drug Test, Urine Drug Test

In a case study by Dr. Holland, new drug and alcohol testing procedures in the mining industry were not disputed in the mining workplace, but an incomplete evaluation program certainly was. Since drug and alcohol use (as well as abuse) could be the result of a stressful workplace environment, if regular and randomized testing was to be implemented, the inherent need for stress-free surroundings at work required more than simply submitting samples for drug test.

However, stress at work can easily be caused by under-qualified and under trained individuals, coworkers and members of management. At CMM Technology™, in addition to our drug and alcohol testing training and courses, we offer courses in Life Support, Senior First Aid, Cert IV TAA, Manual Handling, Grader, Haul Truck, Chainsaw, Loader, Excavator, and many more.

Although compliance with alcohol testing helps to make the workplace more efficient, which in turn reduces stress, self education and edification, can contribute greatly to calm, steady, peaceful working environments. Both factors are important to achieve high efficiency and to retain high quality employees.

During any type of economic instability, it may seem that training employees “just enough” to get by will at least keep your business afloat. This, however, was not true in more famous examples such as the Exxon Valdez oil tanker, where an under-trained officer ran the ship aground on well-charted Bligh Reef and the St. Francis dam collapse, where self-taught and under-qualified civil engineer, William Mulholland, built a dam above the St. Francis Quito Canyon, in order to provide water for Los Angeles residents. Mulholland was the only one in charge and both the dam and the rock upon which the dam was built were insufficient for the task. In these circumstances, companies and businesses can prevent disaster by providing adequate training, not only in work duties, but also in company and legal protocol. Protocol is set in place to avoid “what if” situations, where chain of custody or reactions to unique environments is not clearly defined.

In the above examples, a great amount of damage can be caused in a short amount of time and through improper supervising procedures. Receiving adequate training and courses such as the ones listed above can greatly reduce accidents, injury, death and loss of revenue in high-hazard work environments. Drug and alcohol testing, especially around major holidays, can reduce additional damage due to slowed reaction time, poor judgment and carelessness. Incomplete knowledge can, in some circumstances, be more dangerous than having no knowledge at all. Keep yourself and your employee’s safe by receiving the proper training and testing.

What types of testing methods are best for your workplace?

Breathalyser

The types of testing methodologies currently available in the Australian and international markets varies greatly. To determine the best testing technology option(s) for your workplace, it is highly recommended that you speak to our expert CMM Technology team for guidance on (+618) 9204 2500. For example, variables used to determine the best testing technology options for your workplace testing program are contingent on the following assessment areas:

National and state legislation guidelines

OHS risk assessment

Risk culture indentification

Geographic location

Industry type

Size of business

Industrial relations rulings

Budget.

Overall, present testing methodologies available include: saliva drug test, urine tests and other testing applications that assess impairment levels. Our extensive range of breathalysers, simple saliva mouth swabs, state-of -the-art testing technologies and urine testers (which facilitate these testing methodologies), are just some of the instruments which can be introduced to your testing program.

With the ongoing advances in drug and alcohol testing technology as well as policy and legislation developments, it is highly recommended that you visit our CMM Technology website regularly to ensure you’re up-to-date with the latest testing technologies, legislation changes, best practices and support services. Speak to our helpful team of experts today on (+618) 9204 2500 for more information about our comprehensive, market leading products and services.