The rate of crime and violence in Australia would drop significantly, as would workplace injuries, if fewer people abused alcohol. For this reason, there has been a national ongoing debate concerning the need for stricter federal, state, and territory laws intended to prevent or contain alcohol abuse. Despite the damaging effect of alcohol on the brain there is a faction that resists all efforts to tighten laws on the theory that less government is best. However, if psychic and making predictions, it is expected that over the next 5 years there will be much stricter regulations put into place by all governments.
There are a myriad of laws on the books that differ from state to state to territory. Employers running businesses involving trucking, delivery, repair services and so on must ensure that drivers adhere to the law while working. That is difficult to do since the employer cannot be in the vehicle at all times to monitor behaviour. One major vehicle wreck that involves an employee testing positive for alcohol or drugs, and the employer will suffer significant financial loss even if insured.
Stricter Road Rules Make an Impact
That is precisely why random workplace alcohol testing is allowed in Australia. ANZPAA was created in 2007 to address cross-jurisdictional government policy initiatives to improve community safety. It represents a joint initiative between New Zealand and Australian Police Commissioners and Ministers. The organisation tracks road policing statistics, and in them you can find the effect of stricter road rules.
For example, ANZPAA reports that there were 1,292 road accident deaths during the 12 months ending December 2011. The 17 to 25 year old age group, meaning many worker aged people, accounted for approximately 13 percent of the road deaths. Two major contributing factors to this high death rate are illegal speeds and alcohol or drug use. For the entire population, alcohol and drugs were found to be involved in 37 percent of the cases, while speeding was a factor in 34 percent of the crashes.
As bad as the numbers are in the reading, they reflect an improvement in that the last 10 years has seen a decrease in road deaths by 21 percent. As government cracks down on enforcement of the laws and increases driver training efforts, there are signs of improvement. Of particular interest to employers is the statistic that reports only 3 percent of heavy trucks and buses account for the total road vehicle fleet, yet are involved in 18 percent of all fatal road accidents.1
Zero BAC the Ultimate Goal for the Nation’s Drivers
Drink driving laws are constantly being amended. For example, in late 2011 the Western Australia Parliament stiffened penalties for drink and drug driving and expanded the types of drivers required to drive with a zero BAC or Blood Alcohol Content. As would be expected based on the statistics just mentioned, the drivers include those in control of heavy vehicles and buses. Alcohol is reported to be involved in over a third of Western Australia road deaths. If a person’s BAC is .05, he or she is twice as likely to be involved in a crash.2 As an employer, you have an obligation to know and understand the laws. However, clearly the best workplace policy is zero tolerance, which means employees should have a zero BAC while on the job.
Australia’s crackdown on drink driving is taking many forms. For example, activities include Operation Unite in Sydney; a Gillard government crack down on grog running in dry areas; a federal government investment of $24 million in drug and alcohol abuse prevention and addiction treatment; and unannounced driver compliance checks in every state and territory. More and more employers are joining the crackdown by implementing random alcohol and drug testing programs in the workplace. The availability of portable breathalysers like the Lion SD 500 or the Lion Alcoblow makes a zero tolerance policy much easier to enforce.
For those employers who prefer to leave drug screening to professionals, Mediscreen (http://mediscreen.net.au/) offers onsite alcohol and drug screening. Mediscreen experts can structure testing activities to meet the needs and time schedule of employers operating in single or multiple locations.
References
1. Australia and New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency. (2012). Road Policing Statistics. Retrieved May 2012, from ANZPAA: http://www.anzpaa.org.au/current-initiatives/operation-crossroads/road-policing-statistics
2. Office of Road Safety. (2011, October). Drink Driving. Retrieved May 2012, from Government of Western Australia: http://www.ors.wa.gov.au/Demographic-Pages/I-am-Working-in-Road-Safety/Drink-Driving.aspx
