Award Nomination:
This submission recognises Port of Blyth’s work to strengthen workplace drug testing in a safety-critical port environment, supported by its collaboration with Intelligent Fingerprinting.
Port of Blyth operates a busy, complex site where staff, tenants, contractors, and visitors work around heavy equipment, live vessel operations, and large-scale cargo. In this setting, workplace drug and alcohol testing is not a standalone HR process. It is part of the port’s wider safety culture and its commitment to making sure people are fit for duty when working on site.
Before adopting the Intelligent Fingerprinting Drug Screening System, Port of Blyth used oral fluid testing. Although this process was established, the port found that it could be uncomfortable for some donors and could create practical challenges, including dry mouth, donor anxiety, and longer testing sessions. Port of Blyth introduced fingerprint drug testing to make testing easier, more respectful for those being tested, and better suited to day-to-day port operations. The approach now supports its random, post-accident, and pre-employment testing, helping the port maintain a practical and proactive safety framework.
As Stuart Balmer Howieson, HR and Safety Manager at Port of Blyth, explains:
“When it comes to fingerprint testing, it is not invasive in any way, shape, or form. The main thing is it saves a lot of time and stops people from getting anxious.” This entry shows how Port of Blyth has strengthened its culture of safety and accountability by adopting a more practical, respectful testing process better suited to port operations.
Additional Information:
Port of Blyth handles major cargo, heavy plant, and complex operations. People, vehicles, vessels, and equipment all operate in close proximity. Some of the items moved through the port weigh up to 2,500 tonnes, and the site can involve up to 500 people working at any one time. In this environment, fitness-for-duty is essential to keeping people safe.
The port’s drug and alcohol testing programme supports this wider responsibility. It helps Port of Blyth manage risk across its own workforce and the broader site community, including contractors, tenants, visitors, and customers. The aim is not only to identify risk after an incident, but also to maintain a visible, consistent, and proactive approach to safety across the port.
Before adopting fingerprint drug testing, Port of Blyth had used oral fluid testing for more than a decade. The process was familiar, but the port identified opportunities to improve the donor experience and strive for higher operational excellence. Issues such as dry mouth, anxiety, and longer testing sessions made the process more difficult than it needed to be.
Port of Blyth worked with Intelligent Fingerprinting to move to a method that better reflected how the port operates day to day. The programme has now expanded to three drug screening readers that can be used across multiple sites. This allows the port not only to test its own staff but also to offer testing services to tenants, visitors, and guests who arrive to conduct business at the port.
As Stuart Balmer Howieson, HR and Safety Manager at Port of Blyth, explained:
“With contractors, visitors, or customers on site, because we have zero tolerance, anybody with a non-negative is not welcome on site. They are given the opportunity to leave, but we will not allow them to remain on our premises to work.”
The results can be seen in how confidently the programme is now used. Port of Blyth is proud to say it tests 100 percent of its staff every year. Through random, post-accident, and pre-employment testing, everyone at every level is tested. Stuart has personally tested around 200 people using fingerprint testing and highlighted that the port can test a significantly higher number of people in less than ten minutes. Less time in the testing room means employees can return to work more quickly.
The programme has also gained workforce acceptance because employees understand the reason behind it.
“People do not want to be working with somebody who might be impaired. It is their safety that is at risk. Everybody has bought into it.” This collaboration exemplifies the Best Members’ Collaboration category by demonstrating how a port-led safety initiative, supported by an innovation partner, can deliver practical improvements in a complex operating environment.
This project is important because it supports Port of Blyth’s long-term approach to people, skills, and culture. The port invests heavily in developing its workforce, with apprentices progressing through warehouse roles, stevedoring, and, in some cases, crane operation. These roles take time to learn, and experienced staff carry valuable operational knowledge.
Upholding a strong fitness-for-duty culture is therefore both a safety decision and an operationally smart one. It helps Port of Blyth protect the people it has trained, the colleagues working alongside them, and the wider business continuity of the port. Stuart noted that many employees have stayed with the port for more than 10 years, with some retiring after 25 years of service and one employee having completed more than 50 years.
This context gives the programme greater significance. Fingerprint drug testing is not an isolated compliance measure; it supports a culture where skilled people are valued, safety expectations are clear, and everyone understands their responsibility to arrive at work fit to operate safely.
Port of Blyth’s approach is not about monitoring employees’ personal lives. It is about protecting its workforce, its sites, and the safety culture it has built over time. As Stuart Balmer Howieson explained:
“We are not here to stop people enjoying themselves outside of work. All we ask is that anybody coming to work is not impaired and can work safely.” This collaboration helped Port of Blyth replace long-established testing with a faster, more respectful process that supports safer operations and protects skilled port workers.
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