Leading UK homebuilder invests in fingerprint drug testing

Five-star housebuilder Hayfield adopts Intelligent Fingerprinting solution to support in-house drug testing across the business
“We were keen to bring drug-testing in-house, and were particularly impressed by the flexibility and accuracy of the Intelligent Fingerprinting approach” – Andy Green, Head of Health & Safety, Hayfield

Hayfield, an award-winning five-star homebuilder, has adopted fingerprint drug testing to support health and safety across its UK construction sites and other operations. The Intelligent Fingerprinting drug testing system works by analysing fingerprint sweat to screen for recent drug use – cannabis, cocaine, opiates, and methamphetamine. The system will allow the Hayfield Health and Safety team to carry out drug testing in-house for the first time, supporting for-cause testing as part of the company’s drug policy designed specifically to help manage risk across its safety-critical building operations.

Intelligent Fingerprinting’s drug testing system is portable, hygienic and easy-to-use, with fingerprint sample collection in seconds and on-screen results available in ten minutes. Having its own in-house drug testing system means that Hayfield can move quickly to test for cause should they have any concerns, avoiding the wait times and costs associated with external testing service providers. Hayfield will use the system to test both its own employees and contractors who operate safety-critical homebuilding machinery across the company’s building sites, as well as at its Milton Keynes and Solihull operations.

“We were keen to start drug testing but also wanted to be able to carry out the testing process in-house. When looking at solutions on the market we were particularly impressed by the flexibility and accuracy of the Intelligent Fingerprinting approach,” explained Hayfield’s Head of Health and Safety, Andy Green. “The system’s portability means that we can now test at any of our sites, while its short window of detection ensures that we’re able to concentrate on identifying potential drug misuse in the period immediately before the test – and when it is most likely to affect employee performance.”

“Hayfield joins a growing number of UK construction firms that find fingerprint-based testing a great way of supporting their health and safety initiatives. By owning the system and being able to test in-house Hayfield has the opportunity to pro-actively test across its operations, and means they can move quickly to identify and help resolve any potential drug use problems,” added Intelligent Fingerprinting’s Dr Paul Yates. “Safety is clearly paramount for homebuilders, with employees operating heavy plant machinery on site and working at height, so it’s essential that companies such as Hayfield do everything they can to maximise safety and reduce risk.”

Hayfield’s Health and Safety team was also impressed by the Intelligent Fingerprinting drug testing system’s ease-of-use. According to Andy Green, “the tests are easy to conduct, and we have been able to train our team remotely as there’s no specific medical training needed. We now have a system in place that we can manage ourselves, and scale to support our expanding homebuilding activities.”

Fingerprint-based drug testing – how it works
Intelligent Fingerprinting’s drug testing system features a small, tamper-evident drug screening cartridge on to which ten fingerprint sweat samples are collected, in a process which takes less than a minute. The Intelligent Fingerprinting portable analysis unit then reads the cartridge and provides a positive or negative result on-screen for all drugs in the test within ten minutes.

An introductory video demonstrating fingerprint-based drug testing in action is available here.

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For media information contact Cheryl Billson at Comma
Email: [email protected] Tel: +44 (0)7791 720460

About Intelligent Fingerprinting:
Intelligent Fingerprinting is a leading provider of fast, innovative and cost-effective point-of-care diagnostic solutions – including a portable Drug Screening System that works by analysing fingerprint sweat, and easy-to-use saliva-based COVID-19 lateral flow tests. The company has distributors across the globe, including the USA. Founded in 2007, Intelligent Fingerprinting is a spin-out company from the University of East Anglia (UEA). The company is based in Cambridge, England and employs around 40 people.
www.intelligentfingerprinting.com Twitter @iFingerprinting

About Hayfield:
Hayfield is an award-winning Home Builders Federation (HBF) five-star builder. The company won Best Family Home at the 2021 First Time Buyer Readers’ Awards, received Gold and Bronze accolades at the 2020 WhatHouse? Awards, and has also won three Pride in the Job NHBC Awards. Hayfield specialises in building homes with exceptional character in aspirational locations, with unrivalled craftsmanship. The Hayfield team provides both knowledge and practical skills in house-building. This year, 96.4% of Hayfield customers reported that they would recommend Hayfield to a friend. www.hayfieldhomes.co.uk