related fatigue, which is a far more
common factor in workplace accidents
than drug or alcohol use. Additional
sources of impairment may include
(but are not limited to) the effects of
prescription medications, emotional
distress and acute mental distraction.
Contrary to the issues posed by
traditional drug testing programmes,
impairment testing has the potential to
increase workplace wellness, improve
communication, as well as perceptions
of trust and job satisfaction among
employees and management.
AlertMeter: a viable
alternative
Currently, the only workplace safety
tools that can provide the level of insight
necessary to help companies transition
from drug testing to impairment testing
relate to alertness testing as a fitness-for-
duty solution. This innovative approach
is relatively new to the marketplace,
although the science has existed for
decades.
One such system called the AlertMeter
was originally developed in the 1990s and
scientifically validated in 2009 through a
study funded by the US National Institute
of Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH). It is now made commercially
available worldwide by Predictive Safety
SRP Inc, based in Colorado, US, where
cannabis is also legal for recreational use.
Predictive Safety has been supporting
American businesses through the use the
AlertMeter as a viable alternative to drug
testing for several years. They also have
an office in South Africa.
The AlertMeter system gauges users’
performance on a graphical test that lasts
between 60 and 90 seconds. In the case
that an employee performs significantly
lower than their personal baseline
(established after taking the test 10
times), the user and their supervisor are
notified so that the employee’s fitness for
work can be determined before a safety
risk is created. Based on the assessment
of the employee, an employer can then
choose to test for drugs or alcohol.
In the case that an employee’s
decreased alertness is due to fatigue,
stress or other factors not related to drug
and/or alcohol intoxication, the employer
can decide, for example, to reassign the
employee to a less critical task or ask
the employee to use a countermeasure
to help raise their alertness level, such
as a cup of coffee, a 10-minute break
or another suitable response for the
company, the employee and the work
environment.
ENVIRONMENT IN FOCUS
Dr Doug Potter, Predictive Safety South Africa’s
director of Fatigue Education.
Summary
Principally, alertness testing is not about
managing the employee’s life at home;
it is about ensuring that the employee
who is working in a safety-sensitive
job is alert and in a safe state-of-mind.
Unfortunately, when companies rely
primarily on drug testing, the dangers of
fatigue, stress and on-the-job intoxication
are realised only after they have
contributed to an accident.
Building on all the advancements
in workplace safety over the past
few decades requires shifting from
reacting to incidents after they occur to
managing risks in a truly predictive and
preventative manner. Because alertness
testing provides knowledge of a risk
before the risk can pose a hazard, it is a
sign of the future of workplace safety –
focused on prevention and respect
for the safety of workers and
workplaces alike.
For more information, visit:
www.predictivesafety.com/alertmeter.
References
National Workrights Institute (2010).
Impairment testing – does it work?
National Workrights Institute.
Retrieved from http://workrights.
us/?products=impairment-
testing-does-it-work
“Urine and blood tests for drugs may indicate the
presence of a substance up to 30 days after
exposure to the drug, long after the effects
have worn off. This is especially true
of cannabis.”
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