Breathalyser training

Since its first use in October 1967 as a roadside device to gauge a driver’s breath–alcohol levels, the breathalyser has been a common tool for today’s police force to check motorists who have overindulged on alcohol. It is also increasingly used in workplaces to test an employee for alcohol misuse as part of a random testing schedule, following an incident (for-cause) or when there are suspicions of negative drinking behaviour.

Breathalysers are ideal for point-of-care testing because they are compact and very portable, and give an immediate result. The breath alcohol concentration is measured by blowing into the breathalyser. The results are given as a digital readout, which shows the level of alcohol in the breath at the time the test was taken. It does not measure historical use of alcohol.

AlphaBiolabs provides a number of devices for breath alcohol testing dependent on an individual or business need.

Would you know what steps to take if you had to implement a breath alcohol test in your workplace? AlphaBiolabs’ Breathalyser Collection Training provides attendees with the necessary skills and knowledge to understand all aspects of breath alcohol testing.

What’s included in breathalyser training?

Speed is of the essence following a workplace incident involving alcohol. It’s important that breath alcohol tests are performed immediately to ensure accurate levels of alcohol are measured. On average, it takes about 1 hour for a body to break down 1 unit of alcohol. However, how alcohol affects an individual is different for each person, and it can depend on:

• weight, age and sex
• body metabolism
• the type, strength and amount of alcohol drunk
• what has been eaten recently
• whether any medication is being taken
• stress levels

It can also take longer if a person’s liver isn’t working normally.

Our Breathalyser Collection Training shows how to effectively collect breath from a sample donor and document its importance. The course goes into detail about the collection process, how to deal with problems that may arise, how to ensure the integrity of the required documentation, maintain confidentiality of information, and the importance of chain of custody. It is essential that the chain of custody conditions are adhered to so the results of testing will be legally defensible should a sample donor contest the results. The course also studies companies’ own drug and alcohol testing policies, providing help and guidance, and answering any questions.

On completion of the breathalyser training course, employees will be able to undertake breathalyser alcohol testing when required by their company.

For information on AlphaBiolabs’ awareness training or our other workplace testing services, please call us on 0333 600 1300 or email at info@alphabiolabs.com