Workplace occupational impairment is a serious and sometimes confusing topic. The causes of impairment are varied, the effects mixed and remediation efforts, until now, have been difficult to implement.
This guide to Workplace Impairment is designed to answer your questions and get your organization on the right track.
What Occupational Impairment Tests are Available Today?
Today, occupational impairment tests take various forms:
- apps
- eye tracking devices
- and wearable technologies
As discussed in the previous section and as stated by the National Workrights Institute, few early occupational impairment tests were successfully adapted to the workplace. Cost, accessibility, and productivity loss were consistent challenges.
For example, the original Psychomotor Vigilance Test, a precursor to some modern impairment tests, lasts 10 minutes. Modern adaptations like the AlertMeter® have successfully reduced this time to a record 60 seconds without compromising accuracy and insights (Bassner, Rubinstein).
"With the rise and subsequent ubiquity of mobile technology in the mid-2000s, including wi-fi and broadband Internet, touchscreens, tablet computers, and smartphones, workplace alertness testing began to be re-examined. Having developed a computer-based test for measuring the cognitive decline in patients with Alzheimer’s dementia, Bowles-Langley Technology adapted the test for potential use in workplace environments. The prototype test was the subject of a NIOSH-funded study in 2009 that confirmed its ability to detect cognitive impairment among sleep-deprived subjects. Because the test was short, lasting two minutes or less, and could run on common, non-proprietary computer platforms, it immediately demonstrated more promise for real workplaces than previous fit-for-duty tests" (Understanding AlertMeter®).
Further, due to the scientific backgrounds of the masterminds (NASA and US Military) who created the first impairment tests, factors such as productivity loss, ease-of-use, worker privacy, and company liability were not adequately considered nor addressed. The few occupational impairment tests that have been successfully integrated into modern workplaces have had to overcome these challenges. Several characteristics of modern impairment tests make them much better adapted to the workplace:
- Reducing the NASA PVT down to 60 seconds was a feat supported by receiving grant funding from NIOSH. It ended up being the greatest factor in the success of apps like the AlertMeter®.
- Ease-of-use also became a main consideration in the tests
- Simple, game-like format that can be taken by any person
- Regardless of language, education level, or familiarity with technology.
With careful consideration of how an occupational impairment test can fit into existing company policies and procedures, concerns such as worker privacy and company liability have also been successfully addressed.
From an interview with a steel company using occupational impairment testing:
"What about increased liability? Do you have any concerns about that? Our Labor, HR, and Insurance attorneys told us the AlertMeter® actually de-escalates our liability with another layer of ensuring our folks are fit for duty.
Despite These Recent Major Developments, the Market for Occupational Impairment Tests Today Remains Slim
The National Workrights Institute lists 3 companies that still offer occupational impairment testing solutions:
Ambulatory Monitoring Inc. - Manufacture impairment testing systems for medical purposes. Do not offer systems for employment testing.
Assessment Systems, Inc. - Attempted to market psycho-motor impairment testing systems. Did not succeed and is now out of business.
Essex Corporation - Sold their impairment testing technology to Star Mountain Inc. Star Mountain has not yet introduced a product using this technology.
Eye Dynamics Inc. - Currently markets Safetyscope, an ocular based impairment testing system.
LC Technologies - Offers Eyegaze System, which is not for the industrial market.
Meridan Technologies - Company planned to enter the employment testing market, but never completed this effort. Is now out of business.
Performance Factors Inc. - PFI was the first commercially significant impairment testing company. Their Factor 1000 tested for psycho-motor impairment. Despite some success in the market, PFI has gone out of business. The rights to their technology have been acquired by T.A.S.A.L. (Capistrano Beach, CA), which has not yet introduced a product.
PMI Inc. - PMI markets the FIT system, which is based on the eye’s involuntary responses to light stimuli.
Predictive Safety, SRP - Offers the AlertMeter® test for cognitive impairment management and PRISM for fatigue risk management.
Predictive Safety, SRP sells AlertMeter®, a 60-second alertness test accessible on smartphones, tablets, or computers.
Systems Technology - Produces impairment tests, but not for the workplace.
Complete list of companies involved in impairment testing, according to the National Workrights Institute:
Since the added pressures of COVID-19 and the rapidly changing workplace environment, this list may now need to be narrowed even further. Device-based occupational impairment tests have become problematic due to heightened concerns over sharing devices between workers. These COVID-19 concerns further aggravated sentiments of distrust and suspicion that workers have towards wearable devices that track or monitor their biometrics. This has meant that device-agnostic impairment tests, such as those that run on apps, have emerged as clear market leaders.
More Resources:
Analyzing Fit for Work in the Top 5 Most Common Workplace Accidents
What's the Science Behind Impairment Testing?
How AlertMeter® Fits into a Workplace Drug and Alcohol Testing Program
What is Occupational Impairment? Here's Why Drug Testing Isn't Enough
Will Employees Buy-in to an Impairment Test Program
69% of Your Employees Are Drunk at Work
Signs of Impairment in the Workplace
Workplace Impairment Policy to Reduce Errors and Increase Productivity at Work
How AlertMeter® Fits into a Workplace Drug and Alcohol Testing Program
NSC Impairment Detection Technology & Workplace Safety Report
Recognizing Impairment in the Workplace
What are the Benefits of Cognitive Impairment Testing?
What Occupational Impairment Tests are Available Today
Impairment in the Workplace - How Does Impairment Testing Compare to Drug Testing?
Is Workplace Impairment Testing Right for Your Company?
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