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Easy-to-use, hygienic fingerprint sweat test improves the testing experience for P&O Ferries employees from previous urine method
Leading pan-European ferry and logistics company, P&O Ferries, is now using the revolutionary portable Intelligent Fingerprinting Drug Screening System to support its drug and alcohol testing policy.
P&O previously used an external drug testing service provider to conduct random urine testing of seafaring staff on board its ferries. The testing process typically required multiple cabins with toilet facilities, HR support, external testers and a series of two-hour testing sessions across multiple voyages to conduct testing. This approach proved expensive and inflexible. Switching to an in-house programme using the Intelligent Fingerprinting Drug Screening System is expected to reduce P&O Ferries’ overall drug testing costs by 90%.
“When we first saw fingerprint sweat-based drug screening in action, we knew it would be a great fit for P&O Ferries and our need for a flexible system that we could use on board our ferries,” explained Grant Laversuch, Head of Safety & Designated Person Ashore at P&O Ferries. “This has proved to be the case, with the portable and non-invasive Intelligent Fingerprinting system giving us the ability to test on our ferries as needed. Having rolled out the innovative fingerprint solution to our ferries, we’re now looking at training additional HR team members so that we can extend the programme to our employees onshore.
P&O Ferries will deploy the Intelligent Fingerprinting Drug Screening System at its three UK ferry port sites at Larne in Northern Ireland, as well as Hull and Dover in England. The Company’s portable DSR-Plus Readers and screening Cartridges will be used to randomly test seafaring staff on board ferries in line with the company’s drug and alcohol policy.
“The ease-of-use and portability of our Intelligent Fingerprinting Drug Screening System makes it a powerful solution for random workplace testing across different locations. P&O Ferries’ deployment of fingerprint testing on its ferries demonstrates the system’s flexibility. It’s great that we’re not only helping the company maintain a safe and efficient work environment, but also equipping it with a more cost-effective method of testing,” added Harry Simeonidis, President and Chief Executive Officer at Intelligent Bio Solutions.
About P&O Ferries
With more than 185 years of rich heritage and experience, P&O Ferries has been connecting the UK and Europe for nearly two centuries. Our history and our lifelong drive for innovation helps us be the reliable ferry operator you know today, bringing the latest technology to our fleet to deliver sustainable travel in comfort. We sail across the English Channel, North Sea, and Irish Sea, employing 1350 people around our network. Our fleet of ships includes two hybrid-powered state of the art Fusion Class vessels being delivered in 2023, the newest ferries on the English Channel. Taken together, our ships make nearly 20,000 sailings every year. Our passengers travel with us on major routes connecting the UK to France, the Republic of Ireland, and the Netherlands, and our domestic route between Northern Ireland and Scotland. We also operate continental hubs at Zeebrugge and Europoort, and overall we carry around one fifth of the UK’s goods trade with Europe. For more information, visit www.poferries.com.
