Friday, June 17, 2022

Updated NSW Rail Safety Regulation

ONRSR has received updated advice confirming that the NSW Rail Safety (Adoption of National Law) Regulation 2018 is being amended on 1 September 2022 (originally expected to come into effect on 1 August) to update the references to the following two standards:

• AS 3547-1997, Breath alcohol testing devices for personal use has been superseded by AS 3547:2019, Breath alcohol testing devices. Under the Rail Safety (Adoption of National Law) Regulation 2018, preliminary breath tests in NSW must be carried out on a device of a type that complies with the standard (or of a type approved by the Governor by order published in the Gazette for the purposes of the Road Transport Act 2013).

• AS 4760-2006, Procedures for specimen collection and the detection and quantitation of drugs in oral fluid has been superseded by AS/NZS 4760:2019, Procedure for specimen collection and the detection and quantification of drugs in oral fluid. This standard is relevant to drug testing undertaken by ONRSR.

Key differences between AS 3547-1997 and AS 3547:2019 include:

AS 3547-1997	AS 3547:2019
Results expressed as Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC)	Results expressed as Breath Alcohol Concentration (BrAC)
Results expressed g/100mL blood or %	Results expressed g/210L breath
Includes single-use devices	Excludes single-use devices

Please don’t hesitate to contact ONRSR on contact@onrsr.com.au if you should have any questions regarding the changeover to the new breath testing devices standard.