New phone app helps employers identify drugs

New phone app helps employers identify drugs

Auckland, 20 May 2014: A new phone app aims to help employers identify staff taking illegal drugs.

Believed to be a world first, the TDDA app (The Drug Detection Agency), is an information tool enabling employers to keep abreast of drugs on potential offer, alert them to signs staff are taking them and direct them to agencies that can help.

TDDA CEO Kirk Hardy says the app is available to managers and supervisors after they have completed one of the new TDDA training courses, and includes unique features such as ‘Eye-Dentity’ to assess eye pupil size in relation to possible drug use, and the ability to compile a checklist to help assess employees’ drug involvement.

“We currently conduct more than 100,000 drug tests a year in the workplace in New Zealand and Australia and train around 4,000 managers and supervisors in identifying drugs signs and symptoms in employees, and how to deal with these delicate and potentially volatile situations.”

There is also a separate family app. “It’s a community service tool that I hope parents will find useful. It’s timely with legal highs now illegal and in the spotlight, that parents are aware of what drugs their children can be offered, what they look like and the devastating effects they have not only on their health but also family life.

“Parents also need to be aware that drug use isn’t just a teenage problem, children as young as 9 years old have been involved in selling and taking drugs.”

Kirk says that TDDA’s drug testing arm NZDDA already offers free drug education
seminars at schools around the country but often parents are busy and can’t attend.

“This app offers advice and information at their fingertips that will be constantly updated to keep pace with the ever changing and fast paced drug market – for synthetic drugs in particular. It’s important parents know what these drugs looks like, the effects they have and where to seek help.”

The TDDA family app describes the types of drugs, effects they have, paraphernalia used to take the drugs, symptoms of drug takers, how to talk to your children about drugs, what to do if you find drugs at home and agencies that can help with advice and treatment.

There is also a section for house buyers and renters on what to look for in houses, and the people living there, to determine if the house has been used for manufacturing TDDA will donate 25% of its sales from the TDDA family app to support the national children's hospital, Starship and do the same in Australia where it also operates.

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