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Pre-employment colour vision testing
N L McElearney1, R S Waddy, C C Rawll
1British Airways Health Services, Heathrow Airport, Middlesex, UK.
Occupational Medicine (Oxford, England)
|February 1, 1992
Summary
The Ishihara test alone is insufficient for screening color vision ability in employment candidates. Including trade tests like the Giles Archer Lantern or ESI wire test improves accurate suitability assessments.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Occupational Health
- Human Resources
Background:
- Accurate color vision assessment is crucial for occupations requiring color discrimination.
- Traditional screening methods may not fully capture an individual's ability to perceive color in specific work environments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of the Ishihara test in conjunction with trade-specific color perception tests for employment screening.
- To determine if supplementary trade tests enhance the accuracy of identifying suitable candidates for color-dependent roles.
Main Methods:
- 1020 male candidates underwent the Ishihara test, Giles Archer Lantern test, and Electricity Supply Industry (ESI) wire test.
- Performance on each test was recorded, and employment offers were correlated with test results.
Main Results:
- 100 candidates failed the Ishihara test; of these, 61 passed both trade tests.
- 77% of candidates who passed any part of the color perception assessment were offered employment.
- 11 candidates passing only the wire test and 3 passing only the lantern test secured employment.
Conclusions:
- The Ishihara test serves as a useful initial screening tool but is inadequate as a sole determinant for employment suitability.
- Administering at least one trade test alongside the Ishihara test is recommended to avoid rejecting potentially suitable candidates.