News

Drug Testing in the Workplace Across Industries

07 July, 2015

It has been decades since the idea of workplace drug testing was introduced, but it remains a difficult issue. While more and more employers are actually implementing workplace drug testing programs, many issues and questions continue to hound the practice to this day.

In most cases, workplace drug testing is unquestionably necessary in industries that use heavy equipment. These, after all, are high-risk fields that could easily turn into disaster areas in the blink of an eye because of a driver or a heavy machinery operator or a pilot working while impaired by alcohol or drugs, or both. But what about other industries that aren’t as safety-sensitive? Should workplace drug testing be introduced to all industries, and sack those who test positive for drugs and alcohol?

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A Future Drug to Help You Forgo Sleep?

06 July, 2015

In a podcast for Gizmodo Australia, Rose Eveleth brings up the idea of taking a future drug that will help you never sleep again, and whether or not people would actually consider taking it. Eveleth discussed the topic James Hughes, executive director of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies and Nancy Kress, author of the sci-fi trilogy Beggars in Spain, which is about people genetically engineered to be unable to sleep.

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2015 AUSTRANS Blitz Bags More Drug-Driving Workers

03 July, 2015

The 2015 Operation AUSTRANS blitz has bagged more drug-driving workers than it had in 2014.

According to new figures released by the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency (ANZPAA), the month-long AUSTRANS campaign successfully apprehended 190 heavy vehicle drivers who tested positive to drugs or alcohol. The figure marks an increase from last year’s catch, which was pegged at 172.

The blitz, which was a joint operation between Australian and New Zealand police with the cooperation of road and OHS agencies, also intercepted 323 people driving heavy vehicles without a licence, pinpointed 3271 work diary breaches, spotted 1518 improperly restrained loads, and caught 145 trucks with speed-tampering devices.

Hair Drug Testing For Aussie Sailors

02 July, 2015

The rising incidence of ice use at HMAS Sterling has forced the Australian Defence Force to consider making the sailors assigned in the said naval base undergo hair drug testing, says Nick Butterly in a report for The West Australian.

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Drug Testing for Drink Drivers in WA Pushed

01 July, 2015

The policy of West Australian police to not test drink drivers for drugs needs to be changed, and that the WA Government should create a specific “combined impairment” charge for those who drive under the influence of both drugs and alcohol, according to a group of road safety researchers.

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Second Chances for Recovering Drug Addicts

30 June, 2015

Steve Butler has written a piece for The West Australian that focuses on the stories of mostly teenage addicts who are now on their way towards recovery thanks to a local rehab program.

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Some Useful Drug Addiction Facts

29 June, 2015

For an employer with a workplace drug policy in place, being well-informed about drugs and drug addiction is essential. The same goes for the HR officers and the managers tasked with actually implementing that policy. They need to be familiar with the different illicit substances that employees may have access to, their effects, and most importantly, the signs of drug addiction.