Advanced Drug Solutions

This is a most complex area and is the new battlefront in the war against drugs, especially in the area of Workplace Health and Safety. We have decided to consolidate a number of items into a single post to make the matter easier to follow.

New psychoactive substances (NPS) are being developed at an unprecedented rate and have become a major issue of concern around the world. Governments are struggling to respond and laws are constantly changing. This alert provides an update on what’s happening in Australia and New Zealand.

You can read this alert here as a PDF and if you need to discuss it with others you are welcome to print it off. 

The NSW Government today announced new laws to outlaw synthetic drugs with psychoactive properties.

Minister for Fair Trading Anthony Roberts said the laws will be the most comprehensive and wide-ranging in the country.

“There is no silver bullet to protect people from the scourge of psychoactive drugs, but the NSW Government has developed ground breaking laws to tackle the problem,” Mr Roberts said.

You can read this release here as a PDF and if you need to discuss it with others you are welcome to print it off.  fairtrading.nsw.gov.au-NSW_government_to_outlaw_synthetic_drugs

Minister for Fair Trading Anthony Roberts today joined Member for Newcastle Tim Owen to speak with Fair Trading compliance officers who are in the Hunter enforcing Operation Salt, the NSW Government’s interim ban on synthetic drugs.

Minister Roberts said the bans, which are in place for up to 90 days, apply to the sale and supply of named synthetic drugs and like products that could cause serious injury and risk to consumers.

“These synthetic drugs have caused significant harmful and in some instances fatal side effects,” Mr Roberts said

You can read this release here as a PDF and if you need to discuss it with others you are welcome to print it off. 14062013 Synthetic Drugs Ban

While new and emerging drugs have made a real impact in the UK, other parts of Europe and the USA, evidence suggests that these substances are yet to make real inroads in the Australian market. Data from the recent Global Drug Survey of over 6500 Australians found that only nine per cent of the sample reported purchasing drugs promoted as bath salts, legal highs or research chemicals – common descriptors for new and emerging drugs – in the previous 12 months. Drugs such as synthetic cannabinoids, mephedrone, 2-CB, DMT and 25BNBOMe were only reported by a very small minority

You can read Prevention In Action Brochure here as a PDF and if you need to discuss it with others you are welcome to print it off.  

Beginning in 1984, John W. Huffman and his team of researchers began developing cannabinoid compounds to aid in research of multiple sclerosis, AIDS, and chemotherapy.

Over the course of twenty years, Huffman and his team developed 450 synthetic cannabinoid compounds which were used to test the effect of cannabinoid receptors in the brain and other organs.

Ultimately, the cannabinoid research provided understanding of diseases and information for medication development. In the late 2000s, two of Huffman’s cannabinoid compounds began being sold in Germany as marijuana alternatives known as K2 and Spice.

You can read The article by Allan Tisdell of Advanced Drus Solutions  here as a PDF and if you need to discuss it with others you are welcome to print it off. advanceddrugsolutions.com.au-Kronic

How to provide a safe work environment

As an employer, it is your responsibility to provide a safe work environment for all employees, free from any hazards and complying with all state and federal laws.

Health and safety in the workplace is about preventing work-related injury and disease, and designing an environment that promotes well-being for everyone at work.

Knowledge is the key ingredient in providing a safe work environment—if everyone knows the correct procedures then accidents and injuries can be kept to a minimum.

The following checklists are also available to help you provide a safe working environment:

Employer responsibilities with health and safety

Occupational health and safety procedures must be implemented wherever the work is being conducted, be that in an office, factory, construction site or home.

You should develop and have in place an occupational health and safety policy to meet the following standards:

• ensure that the way work is done is safe and does not affect employees’ health
• ensure that tools, equipment and machinery are safe and are kept safe
• ensure that ways of storing, transporting or working with dangerous substances is safe and does not damage employees’ health
• provide employees with the information, instruction and training they need to do their job safely and without damaging their health
• consult with employees about health and safety in the workplace
• monitor the work place regularly and keep a record of what is found during the checks.

Policies should be developed in consultation with all employees. In some instances it may be necessary to organise support persons or interpreters for employees with disability so that all employees may participate in the consultation process.

It is important that you check your relevant state or territory legislation for more specific guidelines as health and safety legislation can be different in each state and territory, and specific industry sectors may also have precise requirements.

Tips for a safe working environment

When a new employee starts with your organisation, it is important that they are aware of the occupational health and safety policies and procedures so that they are able to complete their job requirements safely. You should consider:

• briefing all new employees on occupational health and safety policy at induction
• providing a training session to new employees on all safety procedures, including evacuation and other emergency procedures
• making reasonable adjustments if required, e.g. providing clear markings and colour contrasts on steps or pathways, building a ramp to allow access to a building and providing a parking space close to the place of employment for an employee in a wheelchair.

Safe working practices should also be reviewed and emphasised with all employees on a regular and ongoing basis.

To ensure that everyone knows the correct health and safety procedures, and that all employees, including new employees, have access to information about safety procedures, you should:

• ensure that employees have access to information in appropriate formats, for example, screen reading software, enlarged font, audio and Braille
• provide regular information updates and re-training sessions
• provide access to information about safety procedures
• conduct relevant training on any new equipment or machinery.

Managing a return to work

If you have an employee who is returning to work after an injury, you may also want to consider reviewing and modifying the job procedures if required. The employee should also be re-trained on all procedures, including safety and evacuation procedures.

Need help?

Contact us at Advanced Drug Solutions

Does your company use casual staff?
Have they been Drug & Alcohol tested?

We can dramatically help your business effectiveness, if you send them to us for testing first!  Taking this step will minimise the risk of employing someone who could potentially put themselves or others at risk of a workplace injury.

Our office is situated at Unit 5, The Hub, 6 Frost Dr. Steel River, Mayfield West, 2304.
All testing and paperwork comply with AS/NZS 4308:2008 or AS 4760:2006

Ring today to book in for any of the following:

Pre-employment Drug & Alcohol testing
Pre-induction Drug & Alcohol testing
Employees going interstate to work
Return to work testing
Fit for work testing
Post incident testing
Legal or personal testing
Drug and Alcohol Awareness Programs
Creating Safe Workplaces

Immediate screening test results!
Usually same day service …

Please feel free to call us for any other Workplace Drug and Alcohol related requirements on:

Office:   (02) 4967 4467
Mob:      0455 203 292