1 in 10 workers absent or affected by drugs at work
28 July, 2014A new poll has revealed how many Victorian employees take sick days or are affected by drugs at work.
Are prescription pills and work a dangerous mix?
08 July, 2014Flinders University researchers are exploring the potential problems associated with prescribed opioid use in the South Australian workforce.
Rail takes drug and alcohol testing seriously
30 May, 2014New drug and alcohol testing data, released by the Australasian Railway Association (ARA), has shown a decrease in the rate of positive results amongst employees over two years, even though the number of tests conducted has increased by nearly 55%.
New psychoactive drugs: no easy answer
11 April, 2014New Zealand's new synthetic drug legislation raises as many questions as it answers, but deserves close observation in Australia, according to a new report released today.
Drug and alcohol policy in the workplace
10 February, 2014 by Phillip Collins*At the Australian Drug Foundation, we call alcohol and other drug use the "hidden cost" to Australian workplaces because, for the most part, many businesses are blind to its impact or reluctant to face up to it.
Druglizer drug and alcohol testing service
30 August, 2013Druglizer is a comprehensive drug and alcohol testing service designed for commercial and industrial users across Australia.
Prescription drug misuse in the workplace
18 June, 2013 by A/Prof Apo Demirkol, Assess Medical Group AMGIllicit drug use and alcohol misuse are now recognised as factors that can affect health and safety in the workplace. The same may not be true for prescription drugs.
Testing not enough for designer drugs
30 May, 2013 by Professor Jeremy Davey*What the new synthetic drugs have identified is actually one of the primary flaws of basing your whole drug and alcohol management strategy on testing.
Medvet Reasonable Suspicion drug and/or alcohol testing workplace training
27 May, 2013Reasonable Suspicion training is a 2½-hour course designed for team leaders, supervisors and managers to assist in determining when to request a reasonable suspicion or for cause drug and alcohol test.
Designer drugs: the new face of a workplace safety issue
15 May, 2013The Designer Drugs Session to be held in conjunction with T2013: the 20th International Council on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety Conference will profile synthetic cannabinoids as the new face of drug abuse, investigate the epidemiological background on the latest new drugs in Europe, present case studies on driver intoxication, and unveil new ways for screening and confirmation of the presence of these new drugs in drugged drivers.
MHC and the DAO to amalgamate in WA
10 April, 2013The WA government today announced the Drug and Alcohol Office (DAO) and the Mental Health Commission (MHC) will be joined.
New study shows cannabis effects on driving skills
18 March, 2013New research appearing online in Clinical Chemistry, the journal of American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC), shows that cannabis can be detected in the blood of daily smokers for a month after last intake.
Storm in a pee cup
27 June, 2012 by Mansi GandhiThe recent Fair Work Australia ruling in the Endeavour Energy v CEPU, ASU, APESMA case has again sparked a debate on drugs and alcohol testing in the workplace. Most of us agree that drug testing is vital in maintaining a safe and drug-free workplace; however, there still remains much-debated controversy about the most appropriate method for drug testing.
Legal and illegal substances take toll on safety of mine workers
04 June, 2012The use of the synthetic drug Kronic among NSW miners has prompted specialised drug screening. The Director of Mine Safety Operations, Rob Regan, from NSW Trade & Investment, says the Work Health and Safety legislation imposes a duty on a Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBU) to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers and others at work. The Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 requires that hazards are identified and the resultant risks eliminated or controlled.
Challenges in workplace drug testing
31 August, 2011 by Dannielle FurnessImplementing measures to eliminate or control the risks arising from the consumption of intoxicating liquor or drugs might seem like a relatively simple task, but the myriad options for testing and recording results, legal and compliance requirements, as well as the rise in availability of synthetic drugs which may not be detected in traditional tests, can provide a number of hurdles to scale before a mine operator ensures that legal obligations are being met.
