Breathalyser specialist Alco-Safe is continuously expanding its offerings related to alcohol testing, drug testing and substance abuse awareness in efforts to make the mining workplace safer.

Director Rhys Evans tells Mining Weekly during Electra Mining week that Alco-Safe remains a leading supplier of quality electronic breath alcohol detectors and accessories in South Africa and continues to build on its 43 years of experience.

The company has more than 6 000 clients that require substance abuse testing services across a diverse range of industries, and has supplied more than 40 000 breathalysers across Africa.

Evans says the problem of drug abuse in the workplace extends beyond alcohol, to which Alco-Safe became involved in the supply of drug testing products and related services since 2009.

Some of Alco-Safe’s clients include petrochemical companies Total, BP and Sasol, as well as rail operators Transnet, Metro Rail and Bombela Gautrain. The company also regularly works with mining companies such as Exxaro Resources, Anglo American, Seriti Resources and De Beers, as well as Eskom which has been a long-term client across its operations in South Africa.

To ensure that only professional grade instrumentation is distributed, Alco-Safe represents LION and its US-based sister company, CMI, as world leaders in alcohol detection technology.

LION Laboratories pioneered the fuel cell breathalyser, making it possible for companies and the police to test persons accurately and fairly in the shortest amount of time.

Lion Laboratories won the Queen's Award for Technological Achievement for the product in 1980, with the LION brand continuing to be a world leading breath alcohol testing equipment provider.

Alco-Safe is the sole distributor of LION breathalysers in 10 African countries and supplies instrumentation for alcohol and drug detection into many other parts of Africa, including Mauritius and Seychelles.

Alco-Safe provides both saliva and urine drug testing kits, with its flagship product being the Sotoxa Digital drug test analyser manufactured by Abbott.

The company assist clients to write and implement comprehensive drug testing policies and procedures that are customised to a specific companies needs and desired outcomes.

Alco-Safe also offers operator competency training for breathalysers and drug testing equipment, having conducted competency training to more than 500 000 breathalyser operators.

The company backs its product with calibration and repair services and often designs educational posters and presentations to increase awareness of substance abuse.