- Shipping, stevedoring, warehousing and distribution operations adopt easy-to-use drug test
- Fingerprint sweat test will be used to actively enforce the drug usage policy and support RMS Ports commitment to site Health and Safety
RMS Ports has invested in an innovative drug test to help enforce its company drug policy and Health & Safety obligations. The Intelligent Fingerprinting test – that simply works by analysing a sample of sweat from fingerprints to detect drug use – will be used to test RMS Ports employees, contractors and visitors operating across the Humber Estuary – where the company provides shipping, stevedoring, storage warehousing and distribution services.
The portable Intelligent Fingerprinting system enables drug test samples to be taken from RMS Ports forklift drivers, HGV drivers, stevedoring personnel and office/management staff to provide results in-house within only ten minutes. Fingerprint sample collection takes less than a minute, allowing RMS Ports to conduct random drug tests without impacting workflows. The company will also use the Intelligent Fingerprinting test for pre-employment tests as well as post-incident screening.
Steve Scruton, Group SHEQ Manager, RMS Ports said: “We’ve been drug testing for a couple of years using the traditional urine cup method to encourage adherence to our company drug policy.
“We think fingerprint-based testing will save us considerable time across the business, as we can now collect fingerprint samples on site with minimal intrusion into our day-to-day working practices. This contrasts with our previous urine tests, where collecting samples was time-consuming, intrusive and uncomfortable for those being tested. Additionally, we often had difficulties collecting samples, resulting in wasted time for both employees and testers,” he continued.
“Our RMS Ports sister company – Precision Stevedores – has been using the fingerprint drug tests for some time, and we were particularly impressed by the dignity of the process. It’s so much nicer and more efficient for all parties concerned, and there are no issues with gender-sensitive testing as there were when testing with urine cups. The test is also completely transparent as results from the fingerprinting method are clearly displayed on the Intelligent Fingerprinting DSR-Plus Reader, whereas urine test results were often unclear, prompting potentially difficult discussions with colleagues.”
RMS Ports selected the fingerprint drug test following the successful use of the Intelligent Fingerprinting system by its workforce provision sister company Precision Stevedores who use the system for rapid pre-employment drug screens and monthly random tests.
Fingerprint-based drug testing – how it works
Intelligent Fingerprinting’s drug testing solution features a small, tamper-evident Drug Screening Cartridge onto which ten fingerprint sweat samples are collected, in a process which takes less than a minute. The Intelligent Fingerprinting DSR-Plus portable analysis unit then reads the Cartridge and provides a positive or negative result on-screen for all drugs in the test in ten minutes. A fingerprint-based laboratory confirmation service is also available.
About RMS Ports
RMS Ports is firmly rooted on the UK’s busiest estuary, the River Humber. RMS provides “one number for the Humber” services, with a well-established reputation for providing customers with the best in: shipping, stevedoring, storage warehousing and distribution. RMS Ports has operations in every major Humber port, handling all cargo types from project cargoes, containers, unit cargo, timber, steel, bulk and agricultural bulk products. Typical volumes are around 2.1 million tonnes of cargo through its strategically located port operations. www.rms-humber.co.uk
About Intelligent Fingerprinting
Intelligent Fingerprinting’s portable Drug Screening System works by analysing fingerprint sweat. It is non-invasive, fast and cost-effective, with sample collection taking seconds and simultaneous screening for multiple drug groups in ten minutes. A laboratory confirmation service is also available.
The system has applications within many sectors and customers include employers in safety-critical industries such as construction, transport and logistics firms, drug treatment and family safeguarding organisations, as well as UK coroners. 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 30 people.
