SBIR Phase II: A Computerized Test Battery to Evaluate Workplace Stresses

Rsk Assessments Incorporated, Orlando FL

Investigators

Abstract

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project from RSK Assessments, Inc. will expand and improve upon the test battery implemented for Phase I, including cross validation, examination of other behavioral scoring approaches (signal detection theory, Bayesian methods), other agents (viz., sleep loss) as well as the interplay of these methods on special purpose hardware and new software. Phase I examined the feasibility of conducting human performance-based fitness-for-duty (FFD) testing as an alternative to chemically-based testing. The testing method was brief and inexpensive, and the tests were stable and reliable. Using a multiple cut-off analysis varying proportion of tests passed, they yielded 98+% specificity (minimal false positives) with 80% sensitivity for high dosages of alcohol (and 60% for low). The new battery tightens security, running within self-contained kiosks and providing data encryption and access via smart card usage. Improved managerial control will be implemented within the test system, including test control and scheduling, data analysis methods, and reporting. Additional means of quantifying behavioral decrements will be obtained from sleep deprivation research, analyses of past alcohol research, and an "alpha" test site. Data from these sources will yield a better assessment model and refine calculations for tradeoff between test length, specificity, and sensitivity. RSK Assessments proffers a tool for testing human performance that could facilitate higher productivity in industrial plants, a means of testing employees while in the field, and reduction in worker on-the-job injuries.