Changing societal perceptions, combined with more and more countries legalising cannabis use, mean that companies should adopt nontraditional methods of determining whether employees are fit for duty, says Predictive Safety director of fatigue education Dr Doug Potter.
He points out that the global perception on cannabis use has shifted and that several countries, including South Africa, have decriminalised its use. Thus, the traditional drug testing methods, which are inherently punitive, must change to avoid unfair discrimination and provide a more accurate and broad measure of fitness for work.
Advertisement“Cannabis can still be detected by blood and urine tests up to 28 days after consumption – depending on the speed of your metabolism,” Potter notes, adding that the effects of consumption range from a couple of hours to a day, depending on variables including quantity, quality and type of consumption, as well as the individual’s tolerance level.
Potter points out that the discrepancy between the time cannabis can be detected in an individual’s system and the time during which the person experiences the effects has resulted in companies firing employees who were, in all likelihood, fit for work on the day, and who did not, legally, do anything wrong.
AdvertisementMoreover, the inherent stigma of ‘failing’ a drug test, as well as the limits of traditional methods in detecting fatigue, which is arguably the cause for most work-related accidents and decreases in productivity, necessitates a better approach, he argues.
“Alertness tests specifically consider the multiple factors related to fitness for work, including drowsiness, reaction time and motor skills,” explains Potter.
Unlike drug tests, which detect specific chemical compounds, alterness testing scrutinises whether a person is impaired, offers inteventions to rectify the situation, and does not undermine his or her right to privacy in terms of their medical and biological information. It also does not enable employers to indirectly restrict employees’ recreational activities.
Drug tests also often require a few days to process, which means that test results would be received too late to prevent the risk posed by an impaired worker.
The AlertMeter
Predictive Safety’s AlertMeter alertness tests take up to 90 seconds to complete and produce immediate results, and can be repeated multiple times a day. There is no risk of a false positive, and, once completed, can still be used to identify employees who are intoxicated at work, as employers can use the alertness test as justification for the use of blood and urine tests.
Potter explains that the scoring algorithm measures users’ individual test results against their personal performance standard, which is a baseline that is derived after the individual takes the test ten times. Additionally, Potter notes that the baseline is adjusted as the individual gets used to the system, as it is always derived from the ten most recent tests.
The AlertMeter notifies the employee’s immediate supervisor when the results deviate significantly from the norm, in order to prompt a conversation on the possible reasons for an employee being less alert and the measures that can be taken to maintain the safety of all employees.
Potter notes that some of the interventions or solutions can range from an employee increasing his or her caffeine intake for minor deviations to being sent home or to an on-site health practitioner if there is a risk of an untreated medical condition.
The test is effectively a gaming programme on touch screen mobile devices, typically tablets, which can be mounted or stored at a point of entry, where breathalyser testing and identification verification occur. The game is based on matching shapes.
The design of the programme is based on the reality that employees have a range of psychological and physiological differences, and, hence, individual feedback rather than a prescribed performance measure is key.
There is no language barrier and only two buttons, which reduces the amount of training needed for each employee. As a test, the AlertMeter also ensures that employees are not prejudiced based on their computer, numerical or reading literacy.
Potter adds that a small percentage of people who have problems with depth perception might be slightly hindered, but that the normalised measurement, their individual baseline, would account for that aspect of their psychology. Therefore, it would not cause significant day-to-day deviations in the alterness test, which means that the test would still detect a major deviation caused by medical, environmental or psychological factors.
“The test’s ability to detect impairment has been confirmed through NIOSH-sponsored studies and the system is used in around 200 sites globally,” Potter comments.
He notes that, apart from improving productivity and reducing health and safety risks, the AlertMeter also assists in the reduction of absenteeism. Employees are less likely to skip work to aviod drug tests, and the ability to monitor their fatigue and stressors might lead to more proactive self-care.
Potter says that the AlertMeter offers a broader and less punitive approach to managing employee safety and does not merely focus on intoxication, which is only one of many factors that can result in an employee being unfit for duty.
Moreover, he notes that it shifts the focus to the individual’s ability to complete his or her tasks while on company time, rather than what they might be doing in their free time.