Breath Alcohol Operator or Breath Alcohol Technician?

Breath Alcohol Operator or Breath Alcohol Technician? 

Breath Alcohol Technician (BAT) certification has been the gold standard since 1994 when the DOT alcohol testing regulations were first implemented.  Most of the training AlcoPro has done since that time has been to certify students as BATs.  

However, BAT certification and training is not necessarily appropriate for agencies and companies that are not covered by the DOT regulations.  For example, probation departments aren’t required to follow the DOT protocol when performing alcohol testing, and they certainly don’t need to be knowledgeable about the DOT regulations.  The same holds true for companies that don’t have DOT-covered employees.  They are free to choose any reasonable testing protocol, and their staff should be trained on their company’s alcohol testing policy rather than the DOT regulations.  

We call the non-DOT training that we offer these agencies and companies “Operator” training.  Our Breath Alcohol Operator training is customized to include information on the company’s policy and protocol, and covers the legal issues of alcohol testing and alcohol pharmacology.  Our training focuses on the hands-on use of the particular alcohol testing device used by that agency or company, and includes training on Accuracy Checks and Calibration Adjustments.  Upon request we also train selected students to be Breath Alcohol Operator Instructors as well.

Our Breath Alcohol Operator training ranges from a half-day to a full day, depending the agency’s specific needs. Typically training is conducted on-site at the customer’s location.  For more information and for a customized quotation contact AlcoPro’s Training Director, at 800 227-9890, or  at training@alcopro.com.