Alcohol check devices measure breath before a shift or before driving or equipment work so that a workplace can carry out the check procedure it has set. Where pre-work checks are needed, such as for transport vehicles, heavy equipment at construction sites, and manufacturing equipment, you need a defined flow so that people do not start work unchecked even on days when the device screen freezes or results are not saved.
The key is not treating the failure itself as a pass. Manage the period from when the device became unusable to when normal check-in became possible again as a separate window, and distinguish whether each person completed a check by backup means during that window or had their work assignment put on hold because they had not yet been checked. Having a spare device on hand does not mean the backup procedure has worked.
Stop the check flow the moment a failure occurs
When a site manager finds a condition that prevents the original procedure, such as a screen error, a power fault, or test results not being saved, record the time and symptoms and stop check-ins on that device. Split the list into people who have already been tested and those who have not at this point, so that people who were not checked during the outage do not get mixed up with the others.
Notify both the people being checked and the staff in charge of dispatch and work assignments of the failure. The notice should state the backup route to use, the time the backup device was actually confirmed as usable rather than an estimated time it might become available, and the work assignment rule for people not yet checked. Whether simply writing down names or verbally confirming attendance can replace the original test must be decided separately according to workplace rules and the purpose of the check.
Open the backup route only after confirming it is ready
Choose one backup route that is workable on site: a spare device, another nearby testing station, or a separate check procedure the workplace has set in advance. Taking a spare device out of storage is not enough. Start check-ins only after confirming the information that identifies the device, its date and time, the display unit, the test method to apply, and the result storage status, so its records do not get mixed with those of the main device.
When using another testing station, do not stop at telling people to go there. Decide whether that station can take additional people, who will pass the results confirmed there to the assignment staff at the original site, and which work people may not do before they go. If the spare device is at another site or is not yet ready to use, it is accurate not to mark backup testing as available during that time.
| Decision point | What to record on site | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| Device taken out of use | Time the failure was found and the function that did not work | Separate the list of untested people and stop check-ins |
| Backup procedure starts | Device or station to use and the time it was confirmed usable | Tell the people being checked how to move or wait |
| Main device restored | Time normal testing and saving were confirmed again | Close backup check-ins and switch to the main device |
| Wrap-up after the outage | Lists of people who completed and did not complete the backup check | Cross-check for duplicate and missing records |
Make work assignments clear for people not yet checked
The purpose of the backup procedure is to prevent anyone from passing through at will during the outage. So do not treat people waiting to be tested, people on their way to another station, and people who have finished testing on the backup device as having the same status. For work the workplace has designated as subject to checks, such as dispatch, driving, heavy equipment operation, or assignment to hazardous tasks, you can set down in internal criteria how assignments will be adjusted until the check result comes back.
As a hypothetical example, suppose the entrance device showed an error and stopped saving results just before a shift started. The manager uses the last normal check-in time to split people into those who completed the check and those who did not. After confirming the spare device's time and storage status, the manager directs only those not yet checked to that device and holds their work assignments until the spare device can be used. In this case, the observation is "results not saved," the interpretation is "no record proving a normal check was completed," and the action is "re-check on the backup device or hold the assignment." The completion criterion is that the spare device's results are recorded and linked to each person and shift, and the assignment staff have received confirmation of that check.
Set a single restoration time to prevent duplicates
The outage is not over just because the main device has turned back on. After confirming that the display and result saving work normally, set a single point in time at which backup check-ins end and check-ins on the main device resume. If both devices stay open at the same time, the same person may be checked twice before the same shift, or, conversely, may not be recorded on either device.
After restoration, cross-check the outage list, the original records from the backup device, and the records after the main device resumed, by person and by shift. Rather than deleting a record just because the date and name match, it is better to look at the actual test time and the device used to decide whether they are the same check. For anyone who was not checked during the outage, record separately that they were incomplete at the time of the outage, even if they were checked later, and the actual time of the check.
Improve the operating chart for the next failure
After the outage ends, rather than settling on a cause of the failure, summarize the points on site where the process actually broke down. For example, look at whether there was a spare device but no one in charge so it was delayed, whether there was another station but no route for passing on results, and whether the list of unchecked people reached the assignment staff in time. This becomes operating material for opening the backup procedure faster at the next failure.
It is safer to handle inspection, repair, or setting changes on the device itself through the designated support channel. In a support request, report the facts needed to find the cause, such as what appeared on the screen, the last time of normal use, and the installation location, and do not erase the device's state at the time by disassembling or resetting it on your own. In line with the intent of risk assessment, which is to identify hazards and prepare and carry out improvement measures that reduce risk, a workplace can also manage the operational gap of a device failure within its check procedure and work assignment flow.
