SAFETY
Proving Fitness for Duty
New technology takes the guesswork out if
employees are too impaired to perform their work
There are numerous reasons why
an employee may not be fit for
duty. Of course, impairment
from drug and alcohol use is front and centre
these days, in particular due to the legalization
of marijuana. But they may simply be fatigued
from not getting enough sleep, drinking with
friends the night before or have restless evenings
with a newborn.
Employers don’t want to pass judgement on
their staff’s lifestyles, but they do want to ensure
they are fit for duty. That is especially true
in the construction field where employees operate
large and complicated machinery and a misstep
can lead to a disaster.
Randal Roberts, CEO of Alberta-based
SafetyScan Technologies, is developing technology
in Canada that can help employers test
their employees to determine if they are fit for
duty. SafetyScan uses infrared cameras to track
eye movement and it captures an employee’s
eye reaction to a visual stimulus. Basically, a
worker watches a light moving around and the
machine measures how the worker’s eyes react.
The process takes about 30 seconds to complete.
In most workplaces, the workers will
come in and take the test, enjoy their morning
By Pat Rediger
An employee taking a fitness for duty test
ALL PHOTOS ARE COURTESY OF SAFETYSCAN TECHNOLOGIES
thinkbigmagazine.ca | Quarter 2 2020 | Think BIG 25
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