Performance testing can add an extra margin of safety

HR Magazine, Feb, 1996 by Bill Leonard

While pre-employment and random drug testing can help employers detect applicants or employees who abuse illegal substances, the tests are not 100 percent effective in spotting an impaired worker. Stress and fatigue may be the two most troubling factors for employers that are trying to create a safer work environment, because stress and fatigue cannot be measured by biochemical testing. Therefore, some employers have turned to testing an employee's ability to perform a safety-sensitive job. These job performance exams are generally computer-based and check an employee's visual acuity, coordination and reaction time.

"A performance test is a much less intrusive procedure than a drug test," said Wendy Colby, marketing director of Performance Factors of Golden, Colo. "We have found that employees overwhelmingly prefer the performance test over a drug-testing program."

Performance Factors markets Factor 1000, a computer-based test that is relatively new to the market. Even though the exam was developed nearly 30 years ago by NASA to check the performance skills of astronauts, the technology was made available to the general public just a few years ago. The test measures responses while the test subject tries to keep a diamond-shaped cursor aligned with the center of the screen. The cursor moves randomly and quickly, so the subject's responses must be fast and accurate.

Each person establishes a baseline score and must match that score to pass the test. Baseline scores are unique to each individual, which means employees cannot "beat the system" by having a friend take the test.

The test takes only 30 seconds to complete, and employees have eight chances to match or beat their baseline score. If they fail, then the employer can reassign them for the day or request that they take the day off.

MOUNTAINSIDE SAFETY

Purgatory Resort in Durango, Colo., started using Factor 1000 in June 1994. Purgatory is a large ski resort, and all employees in safety-sensitive jobs - such as ski lift operators, skiing instructors and child-care personnel - must take the performance test when they arrive for work. Employees who can't match their baseline scores are generally sent home for the day. Personnel who fail the test repeatedly must take drug tests and are advised to seek counseling.

"The vast majority of our employees liked the idea of the performance test. I think many of them look at it as a challenge and are really motivated to beat the computer," said Tammy Fry, director of human resources for Purgatory Resort. "Oh, we had three or four employees who grumbled about having to take the test. You can always expect that kind of response when starting a new policy like this one. But their complaints were that the test was unnecessary - not that it infringed on their rights or lifestyle."

According to Fry, most of the managers worried about the logistics of testing the resort's workforce. Managers feared long lines and confusion during the shift changes when large groups of employees reported to work. But much to everyone's surprise, the new testing routine came off without a hitch, Fry says.

"Performance Factors recommended one computer for every 25 employees, so we installed 18 test stations," Fry said. "The test is really quick, usually less than a minute, so there is no waiting. We were all pleasantly surprised how smoothly the first few days went, and it actually was a huge relief to everyone in management."

Fry says it's too early to get an accurate fix on the performance test's effect on the resort's safety record. She did say that last ski season the number of ski lift incidents dropped and the number of workers' compensation claims declined. Fry is quick to point out, however, that the resort's workplace safety conditions change with the weather.

"Our business is a real slave to weather here. When it snows a lot, then the number of accidents shoots up considerably," she said. "We are just entering our second year of using the performance test. I believe we'll need at least three, if not four, years of statistics before we can accurately measure the effect of the test."

One employer that has used performance testing for several years reports a dramatic improvement in its safety record. The R.F. White Co., a wholesale petroleum distributor in Upland, Calif., evaluated its frequency of accidents and injuries before and after implementing performance test procedures. According to Darry White, vice president of operations, the number of accidents dropped 67 percent, errors and incidents decreased 92 percent, and workers' compensation costs were reduced 64 percent after the company made performance tests part of the work routine.

INSURANCE BREAKS

The one immediate effect Factor 1000 did have on Purgatory Resort was to lower the premiums for the resort's liability and workers' compensation insurance.

"Our insurance companies gave us some substantial price breaks, so that was further reason to implement the testing program," Fry said.

Fry emphasizes that Factor 1000 has augmented the resort's existing safety policies. The performance tests have not and will not completely replace procedures such as pre-employment screening, Fry says.