- Enables quick, more hygienic pre-employment screening, post-accident and random testing
- Follows recent research that 1 in 10 employees suspect illegal drug use by workplace colleagues
The world’s first fingerprint-based drug test, from Intelligent Fingerprinting, is now available to HR and Recruitment teams, enabling a faster, more convenient drug testing approach to underpin company drug and alcohol policies, helping to promote healthier, safer workplaces.
The availability of a simple-to-use, portable drug testing system – which takes just five seconds to collect a fingerprint sample and provides results in minutes – will give HR professionals greater flexibility when developing and delivering their workplace drug and alcohol policies. The solution provides a hygienic and dignified means of supporting a wide range of workplace drug testing scenarios – from pre-employment screens and random drug tests to post-accident investigations.
The new end-to-end Intelligent Fingerprinting drug testing system features an initial screening test that analyses sweat from a person’s fingerprint to determine if a job candidate or employee has recently used cocaine, opiates, amphetamines or cannabis. Sample collection is portable, hygienic and non-invasive and takes only five seconds, with simultaneous screening results for all four drug groups available in ten minutes. If required, positive screening results can be verified using Intelligent Fingerprinting’s fingerprint-based laboratory confirmation test service.
“Given the recent national research suggesting that 1 in 10 employees suspect illegal drug use by workplace colleagues, it’s clear that drug abuse in the modern workplace is a growing, serious concern,” commented Intelligent Fingerprinting’s Dr Paul Yates. “HR professionals are increasingly aware of the need for an active drug usage policy alongside alcohol use policies, however the challenge comes in implementing drug policies effectively – particularly when using traditional drug testing systems.
“In contrast to existing drug screening methods which require the collection of urine or saliva samples, fingerprint-based drug testing offers a more agile approach that’s faster and more hygienic. And, because it’s so easy to use anytime, almost anywhere – without the need for specially prepared collection areas or specialist staff – fingerprint drug testing is ideal for random testing or in-situ post-accident investigation, with preliminary results available within just minutes,” he added.
Fingerprint-based drug testing – how it works
Intelligent Fingerprinting’s end-to-end drug testing solution features a small, tamper-evident Drug Screening Cartridge which takes just five seconds to collect a fingerprint sweat sample. The Intelligent Fingerprinting portable analysis unit then reads the Cartridge and provides a positive or negative result on-screen for cocaine, opiates, cannabis and amphetamines in ten minutes.
Should an employee’s initial screening test provide a positive result for any of the four drugs tested – in contravention of a firm’s drug and alcohol policy – two further sets of fingerprint samples are gathered for confirmation testing using the Intelligent Fingerprinting Fingerprint Collection Kit for Laboratory Analysis. Informed written consent is obtained from the donor prior to sample collection, along with a statement of the donor’s prescription medication, if applicable.
Once confirmation samples have been collected, the Fingerprint Collection Cartridges are sent to Intelligent Fingerprinting’s partner laboratory for analysis. The laboratory provides the customer with a quantitative laboratory result in the form of a Certificate of Analysis.
About Intelligent Fingerprinting
Launched in 2017, Intelligent Fingerprinting’s portable Drug Screening System works by analysing the sweat from a fingerprint sample. It is non-invasive, fast and cost-effective – screening for multiple drug groups simultaneously (currently amphetamines, cannabis, cocaine and opiates) with sample collection taking 5 seconds and results in minutes. A laboratory confirmation service is also available.
The system is currently being marketed to the criminal justice arena, drug rehabilitation services, offender management, workplace and occupational health services. The technique has potential for many other uses including healthcare diagnostics and homeland security applications.
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 currently employs around 30 people.
