Tag: drugs

Back to Basics: Drug and Alcohol Impairment

Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine drugs and alcohol, and impairment on the road and in the workplace. Drug and alcohol abuse can leave workers and commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers impaired. As more states have decriminalized […]

drug testing

Negative Repercussions of Mandatory Drug Screenings

Employers often feel an obligation to implement a drug screening program in the workplace, typically with safety in mind. It is used as a precaution to ensure people who would be a danger to others aren’t hired. Random testing is also used to discourage employees from using drugs after hire.

Drug testing

Bill Current on Post-Accident Drug Testing and Cannabis Legalization

On our latest episode of the EHS on Tap podcast, we discussed a persistent problem for occupational health and safety managers—post-accident drug testing. Read on for a transcript of our conversation with Bill Current, President of the Current Consulting Group and a 30-year veteran of the drug testing industry.

Semi trucks

FMCSA’s Clearinghouse Flags Nearly 8,000 Violations

Nearly 8,000 positive substance abuse tests of commercial drivers have been identified since the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Commercial Driver’s License Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse rule became effective January 6, according to the Agency.

Drug testing

FMCSA Raises Minimum Random Drug Testing Rate for Drivers

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced December 27, 2019, that it is doubling the minimum annual percentage rate of random drug testing for commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers. The agency is raising the minimum random drug testing rate of commercial driver’s license (CDL) holders from the current 25% to 50% for calendar year […]

first responders

NIOSH’s Virtual Toolkit for First Responders Addresses Illicit Drugs

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has released a new virtual toolkit to help first responders reduce their exposure to fentanyl and other illicit drugs. The toolkit provides resources to help keep first responders safe when arriving on a scene where illicit drugs, including fentanyl, are present or suspected to be present.

Marijuana and opioids, drug use

How Can You Promote Safety in the ‘Stoned Age’?

Read the transcript of our recent EHS on Tap podcast wherein we talked with Nina M. French, Managing Partner for the Current Consulting Group, about the current trends in drug legalization, use, and abuse, and how EHS pros can effectively maintain a drug-free, safe, healthy, and productive workplace.

Fentanyl in a bag safely handled with gloves

NIOSH Video Addresses Fentanyl Hazards for First Responders

At the beginning of a video released by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), a police officer is exposed to fentanyl and experiences symptoms of an overdose. The video serves to highlight the risks to first responders who may be exposed to fentanyl on the job, along with recommendations to stay safe […]

Marijuana and opioids, drug use

Employers See Effects of Rising Opioid, Marijuana Use

The use and misuse of both illicit and prescription drugs are affecting a growing number of employers. Whether marijuana or opiates are obtained legally or illegally, both are present in the workplace. An increasing number of workers are even dying on the job from drug and alcohol overdoses. The most acute hazards are faced by […]