TDDA Offers New Advanced Drug Awareness Training

The Drug Detection Agency (TDDA) has released its latest
drug and substance training, the “Advanced Drug Awareness
Training”. The programme replaces TDDA’s previous
Management Training course, and now includes education on
the use of and implications of medicinal cannabis, updated
testing information, and new risk scenarios covering
situations requiring decision making by managers and
supervisors.

The Advanced Drug Awareness Training will
help businesses stay compliant with the Health and Safety at
Work Act 2015 (HSWA 2015) and manage workplace risks around
the use and abuse of drugs and alcohol.

“We’ve
been educating New Zealand and Australian businesses for
almost two decades, but recent changes to New Zealand and
Australian laws, cartel activity, the availability of highly
addictive illicit drugs, and the emergence of powerful
synthetic opioids meant our trainings required a real
overhaul,” says Glenn Dobson, CEO, TDDA. “Supervisors
and managers are having difficulty managing drug and alcohol
issues in white and blue collar industries alike. Substance
issues affect all industries. From education to
manufacturing, decision makers need to be thinking about
training.”

Identifying employees under the influence
is challenging and fraught with legal pitfalls –
especially now that the Medicinal
Cannabis Scheme is in full operation. Even when the
clues are obvious, many managers and supervisors lack the
skills and confidence to deal with delicate and volatile
situations that may arise.

The Advanced Drug Awareness
Training is a 4-hour drug and alcohol management education
programme. It has been designed to provide advanced drug and
alcohol training for staff ranging from team members to
people leaders. The interactive training is delivered by
TDDA’s highly trained drug presenters and gives attendees
the confidence and tools to empower them to successfully
identify and deal with situations arising from drug and
alcohol use and abuse in the workplace.

The session
includes:

• Duties under the HSWA 2015 and how to
  actively manage your company’s drug and alcohol
  policy
• Drugs tested for, including prescription
  medicines and illicit substances
• Identifying risks
  and establishing reasonable grounds
• Understanding
  drug and alcohol testing in the workplace, when is it
  warranted and who participates
• New and emerging drug
  trends and data from TDDA’s reporting database,
  Imperans

Professional training and education are
valuable for staff and supervisors alike. TDDA also offers
other training including the Comprehensive Substance
Identification Training, a scientifically backed Drugs of
Abuse Recognition (DAR) programme. This is the highest level
of drug and alcohol training and first of its kind to be
delivered in Australasia. It also offers Employee Education,
a 75-minute session directed at employees focusing on what
to expect with drug and alcohol testing and drug risks and
effects.

Training and education sessions such as the
Advanced Drug Awareness Training, Employee Education, and
Comprehensive Substance Identification Training ensure that
every member of the workforce is equipped to maintain
workplace safety.

By regularly reviewing and updating
policies, conducting thorough screenings and providing staff
with ongoing education, businesses can navigate the
ever-changing workplace landscape with confidence, while
prioritising the well-being of their
employees.

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