Drainage expert, Public Sewer Services, has upgraded its workplace drug testing operations by adopting the Intelligent Fingerprinting drug testing system. Managed in-house, the test uses fingerprint sweat to quickly determine if someone has recently used cocaine, methamphetamine, cannabis or opiates – all of which can affect an employee’s or contractor’s ability to work safely and/or operate machinery in dangerous environments.
Public Sewer Services was looking for a replacement drug testing method for its incumbent saliva test. The saliva testing product was proving difficult to use, with Public Sewer Services conducting several tests that were spoiled and provided inconclusive results.
Gavin Greenfield, HSEQ Manager Public Sewer Services Ltd says:
“We were looking for an alternative to saliva drug testing as we had a run of saliva tests being ruined due to ‘dry mouth’ (lack of saliva). This was frustrating as it was not only wasting the drug test products, but also the Safety Manager’s time and the productivity associated with employees having to take time away from their roles for testing. Saliva tests were taking us about 35 minutes each, end-to-end.
In contrast we are finding that the end-to-end fingerprint testing method is really quick, with sample collection taking seconds and results available within only ten minutes. So, it’s a big efficiency gain for Public Sewer Services. After only a couple of weeks, the Intelligent Fingerprinting method is proving more reliable for us than saliva tests, particularly given our previous issue with inconclusive tests.
When we heard about the fingerprint drug test we were really surprised by the simplicity of the concept and the potential efficiency of testing using fingerprint sweat for the sample. It almost seemed too good to be true. However, the science is proven and the results speak for themselves.
We were able to roll the process out quickly, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the accompanying processes. No one likes paperwork, and the whole workplace drug testing task is significantly easier with Intelligent Fingerprinting. I found the paperwork for the saliva test cumbersome, with too many tick boxes needed to ensure adherence to the testing process. In contrast, the fingerprint test is remarkably easy to use, and time-saving results labels can be printed immediately and added to the employee’s paperwork. There is just one A4 form per donor to complete for both the initial screening test and, if ever required, the confirmation test. This makes our jobs much easier and tests are far simpler to administer.”
