FOCUS ON ALCOHOL TESTING BY BETYE BAILEY, INTOXIMETERS, INC.
Ten Steps to 24/7 Readiness for Alcohol Testing
F
or the average service provider, the majority of workplace collections are urine specimens for drug tests, not
breath specimens for alcohol. Tat makes it easy to lose focus on your preparedness to conduct breath alcohol tests. Some of the items listed below may seem
very obvious, but you’d be surprised how many phone calls come in about Breath Alcohol Technicians (BATs) or collection site errors that could have been prevented with a litle foresight and planning. We hope this list will help you maintain the
ability to perform error-free alcohol tests for your customers at a moment’s notice. 1. Ensure that on-duty staff always includes at least one properly trained and qualified Breath Alcohol Technician. You should be ready for walk-ins and emergencies.
2. Implement a procedure to update the Designated Employer Representative (DER) contact information for all customers at least once per quarter. It has been our experience that DERs come and go prety frequently, and the company may not tell you when a change has been made. Only the DER can receive test results. I suggest having more than one DER contact along with aſter-hours contact information.
3. Have a procedure in place to make sure your clients are providing all the necessary information for each test event, e.g., DOT or non-DOT, reason for test, etc. Remember, you should NOT be asking the test subject/employee for this information or guessing based on
clues available to you. Te employer is responsible for authorizing all tests and providing pertinent test information.
4. Have a DOT-compliant area set up for testing. Te collection site must be private enough that unauthorized persons will not see or hear the test results. While complete privacy may not be possible in all situations, BATs should seek to provide the most private testing area possible.
5. Maintain an adequate inventory of Evidential Breath Test (EBT) supplies inside the testing area. Tese supplies include ink ribbons, paper rolls, ink pens, alcohol testing forms, and mouthpieces. It is a best practice to order replacement materials as soon as you notice that inventory is low. Do not wait until you “need” it. Never let your stock of mouthpieces drop below 25.
6. Inspect your EBT device at least once per week to ensure the printer bateries are charged. Print the last test performed or run a mock test to make sure. Bateries for your EBT instrument, if necessary, should be kept in your supply inventory as well. Rechargeable bateries like those found in some printers should not be leſt plugged in all the time, as this can shorten batery life.
7. Obtain a Quality Assurance Plan (QAP) from the manufacturer of your EBT instrument and be certain that the EBT device has been checked for accuracy within the time frame specified in that QAP. Inspect the logbook weekly to be sure an accuracy check is not required. Te last thing you want is to have a positive test result and THEN find out that your instrument was not in compliance with the QAP. Keep in mind that some devices contain a “lock-out” feature that will disable testing if an accuracy check has not been performed within the required time frame.
8. Ensure that inspection, maintenance, and calibration records for the EBT device and a valid dry gas standard are
24 datia focus
stored with the instrument. In case you need to perform an accuracy check before or aſter the test, you don’t want the BAT to have to leave the donor alone to run find the proper equipment. Also, in the event of an audit by a DOT operating agency, the inspector will ask to see these records.
9. Keep training records for all BATs in an easily accessible location, and provide each BAT with a copy of their BAT certificate. Te regulations state in 49 CFR Part 40.213(g) that BATs must maintain documentation showing compliance with all the requirements in section 40.213.
10. Conduct hands-on proficiency training on a regular basis for all BATs. Since alcohol tests are performed less frequently than drug screen collections, you have to be proactive to ensure that your BATs are always proficient in operating the EBT device and are up-to-date on the DOT procedures. Concentrate on scenarios that do not happen frequently, such as positive tests and uncooperative donors. BATs (and collectors, MROs, SAPs, etc.) are now required by DOT to sign up for the Office of Drug & Alcohol Policy & Compliance (ODAPC) list serve email notification service. Tis is the best way to make sure that you don’t miss any regulatory changes or updates. htps://
www.transportation.gov/odapc/get-odapc- email-updates ❚
Betye Bailey is the Corporate Training Manager for Intoximeters. She prepares and maintains course curriculums and conducts training for both the law enforcement
and workplace/industrial markets as well as providing regulatory compliance support for DOT, NRC and USCG customers. Betye has trained over 6,500 BATs, Instructors and UDS Collectors in her tenure at Intoximeters.
spring 2018
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