Lifeloc Technologies, Leading Provider of Alcohol Testing Systems and Breathalyzers, Provides Reliable, Innovative Technology for Employee Alcohol Testing

Wheat Ridge, CO, May 7, 2006 –- Lifeloc Technologies (www.lifeloc.com/), a leading manufacturer of Portable Breath Alcohol Testers (PBT) and Evidential Breath Testers (EBT), announces the launch of their newly designed EBT, the EV30™. In support of a newly issued U.S. Coast Guard mandate, Lifeloc has developed this and other reliable, fuel-cell based portable breathalyzers for use aboard commercial vessels to verify whether alcohol was an underlying factor in any Serious Marine Incident (SMI).

Beginning June 20, 2006, the U.S. Coast Guard will be enforcing a new federal rule, Federal Regulation 46CFR Part 4, requiring transportation vessels to perform employee alcohol testing when involved in a SMI. Vessels are required to carry drug and alcohol testing kits onboard, unless they are able to reach a facility within two hours to perform valid tests after an accident occurs. With new and innovative breathalyzers and alcohol testing kits introduced by Lifeloc, incidents where serious environmental or property damage occurs may be better investigated or avoided.

Lifeloc’s newEV30™ not only meets but exceeds Coast Guard requirements. The EV30 surpasses other portable breath testers in the areas of user-friendliness, fast-digital reading, accuracy, and high capacity memory with printout capability. These breath alcohol testing kits are extremely versatile. They easily accommodate both U.S. Coast Guard testing and U.S. Department of Transportation evidential testing parameters, as well as provide a low-cost means of conducting simple, quick employee alcohol testing. This flexibility eliminates the need for additional equipment, third party intervention, or the disruptive necessity of transporting employees to a distant location for testing. These high-tech instruments can test multiple subjects, or even multiple incidents, and permanently document all test results for later review, analysis, and follow-up action.

With the newly revised Coast Guard Authorization Act of 1998 supported by high quality, evidential grade alcohol testing kits, SMIs such as oil spills and the depletion of wildlife will be much easier to investigate. More importantly, with the enforcement of sound breath alcohol testing policies and proper training for designated shipboard employees, employers can significantly diminish the chances of serious marine disasters caused by alcohol. States Lifeloc President Alan Castrodale, “We feel that the possibility to be proactive, to take these regulations and use them for deterrence… accident avoidance… is a much more positive approach than merely establishing a system to investigate accidents after the damage is done.”

The Coast Guard, in an apparent attempt to keep the cost down for operators, approved several types of very inexpensive screening devices in addition to the more reliable evidential grade testers. Some of these breathalyzers may not be highly accurate and can react positively to non-alcoholic substances. Lifeloc advises careful consideration by operators to ensure they are making an informed choice, and strongly consider using only instruments that utilize fuel cell alcohol sensors. Fuel cells are highly accurate and alcohol-specific, responding only to alcohol. While fuel devices are slightly more expensive, their reliability and proven accuracy can head off problems that could result in far more cost than the instrument itself, such as the disruption of operations or the accusation of an employee based on a false positive reading. States Lifeloc’s Manager of Workplace Testing Systems Jaime Andrade, “When millions or even billions of dollars of damage or liability is at stake, what is the significance of a few hundred dollars to obtain a reliable test result? We feel one should not put their company, or their employee, in serious jeopardy because, for example, somebody might have mistakenly registered positive on a $99 instrument originally designed to be a novelty.”

Lifeloc Technologies also provides convenient on-site training and certification in employee alcohol testing and the proper operation of these devices. With this training, combined with the high quality, accurate results and the built-in memory in these units, the company maintains that operators can avoid significant potential liability for both their company and their employees.


About Lifeloc Technologies:
For over twenty years, Denver based Lifeloc Technologies (www.lifeloc.com) has served the business, law enforcement and corrections communities by providing high-tech and reliable alcohol testing devices such as Portable Breath Alcohol Testers (PBT) and Evidential Breath Testers (EBT). Lifeloc is privately held and specializes in the design and manufacture of professional-grade, portable, fuel cell based instruments for alcohol detection and enforcement. Used in over 35 countries, Lifeloc's breath alcohol testing devices are recognized for their ease-of-use, reliability, and long life. Lifeloc products have been tested and approved by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a part of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), as well as multiple state forensic laboratories and laboratories in several other countries.