Offsite construction specialist M-AR opts for fingerprint drug testing after rapid growth sees staff numbers set to triple

02.15.2022

M-AR Adopt Fingerprint drug testing

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Offsite construction specialist M-AR opts for fingerprint drug testing after rapid growth sees staff numbers set to triple

  • M-AR buys fully scalable drug testing system to facilitate testing of rapidly growing workforce – to detect cocaine, cannabis, opiates and methamphetamine
  • Intelligent Fingerprinting system detects very recent drug use to ensure workers aren’t jeopardising Health & Safety for themselves or colleagues while working

M-AR – the MMC (Modern Method Construction) modular building specialist that manufactures housing, schools, local authority and commercial facilities offsite before erecting them on-site in a fraction of the time of a traditional build, has purchased the Intelligent Fingerprinting drug testing system. M-AR has an ambitious 5-year growth plan. Turnover trebled in 2020 and last year the company invested in a new 100,000sq ft factory enabling it to manufacture at the rate of approximately two homes per day. With staff numbers set to rapidly triple, M-AR selected the fingerprint-based drug testing system to promote employee, agency and sub-contractor health and safety across the board, on-site and in its factory.

Following a rigorous market analysis of current drug testing approaches, M-AR selected the Intelligent Fingerprinting method as it is the only system that meets the company’s selection criteria, including:

  • Managed in-house by existing staff
  • Non-invasive and not embarrassing for staff to provide/handle samples
  • Portable system – can test at any of M-AR’s manufacturing or construction sites as and when required
  • Scalable – M-AR owns the test equipment and can therefore scale the number of tests up and down as required – especially important as the company is growing quickly
  • Cost-effective – both on a per test basis and in terms of the time required to do the testing and processing – minimising time away from the work schedules

Tony Frost, Health and Safety Officer, M-AR said: “We had looked at the usual options such as urine and saliva methods to support our testing in-house, but we were reluctant to start drug testing with such invasive, time-consuming and expensive testing methods. Until we discovered Intelligent Fingerprinting, the disadvantages of introducing drug and alcohol testing outweighed the advantages. The fingerprint system fits the bill for us: it’s non-invasive, can be managed in-house, it’s portable and – critically for M-AR – the Intelligent Fingerprinting solution is completely scalable with highly-controllable costs.

“After initial training we can manage the fingerprint drug testing system in-house, rolling out testing as and when required. As a rapidly growing business this flexibility is essential, allowing us to scale our drug testing according to our operational requirements,” added Tony. “When we’re busy we have a range of agency staff and sub-contractors working with us, and the Intelligent Fingerprinting system has ensured we can scale our testing accordingly.

“The Intelligent Fingerprinting system and process is very visual. We feel that its use will become a proactive deterrent for drug use in our business. As a business, our concern is that our employees and contractors are free from these influences when they are at work. We believe that the Intelligent Fingerprinting system’s short window of detection of up to around 16 hours from use, provides us with a fair and accurate test that we can use to promote safety in the workplace,” he concluded.

Dr Paul Yates of Intelligent Fingerprinting said: “Drug and alcohol testing is one of those things construction companies really should be doing, but there is often a perception that it can be expensive, difficult and disruptive to do. Like with M-AR, many company representatives quickly change their minds when they see how easy to use and non-invasive the fingerprint-based system is. And, given that costs are controlled, and that construction firms are completely in charge of their testing – whether that’s simply post-accident or as part of a rigorous pre-employment or random company drug testing policy, it’s clear that Intelligent Fingerprinting provides a great testing option for construction firms.”

Fingerprint-based drug testing – how it works
Intelligent Fingerprinting’s drug testing system features a small, tamper-evident drug screening cartridge onto which ten fingerprint sweat samples are collected, in a process which takes less than a minute. The Intelligent Fingerprinting portable analysis unit then reads the cartridge and provides a positive or negative result on-screen for all drugs in the test in ten minutes.

An introductory video demonstrating fingerprint-based drug testing in action is available here.

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For media information contact Cheryl Billson at Comma
Email: cheryl.billson@commacomms.com  Tel: +44 (0)7791 720460

About Intelligent Fingerprinting
Intelligent Fingerprinting’s portable Drug Screening System works by analysing fingerprint sweat. It is non-invasive, fast and cost-effective, with sample collection taking seconds and simultaneous screening for multiple drug groups in ten minutes. A laboratory confirmation service is also available. The system has applications within many sectors and customers include employers in safety-critical industries such as construction, transport and logistics firms, drug treatment and family safeguarding organisations, as well as UK coroners.

The Intelligent Fingerprinting VSS-GP COVID-19 Saliva Test uses lateral flow technology to detect the SARS-CoV-2 antigen, including the Omicron variant. Unlike existing COVID-19 tests that require unpleasant, invasive nose and throat swabs, the VSS-GP COVID-19 Saliva Test uses a simple swab to collect a saliva sample just from the inside of the cheek.

Intelligent Fingerprinting has distributors across the globe, including the USA. Founded in 2007, it is a spin-out company from the University of East Anglia (UEA).  The company is based in Cambridge, England and employs around 40 people. www.intelligentfingerprinting.com

Twitter @iFingerprinting

About M-AR
Located in Hull, M-AR Off-Site is a trading name of Module-AR Ltd. The company is a people-focused main contractor building homes, schools and commercial spaces using MMC (Modern Methods of Construction). Described as ‘the contractor with a factory, helping you build communities with #MMC solutions’, M-AR won the Hull Business of the Year Award in 2021 following sustained growth – including a 300% increase in turnover. The company champions MMC and invests heavily in both staff and facilities. Employee numbers have risen 75%, a comprehensive training programme to upskill staff is in place, and the company has just added a new factory to provide 100,000 square feet of dedicated manufacturing space. www.m-ar.co.uk

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