With more prescription and OTC drugs on the market than ever before, and more people taking these drugs, there’s an increased risk of employees coming to work impaired by medications.
While the dangers of alcohol and use of illegal drugs in the workplace have been much discussed and well documented, little attention has been paid to the effects of prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medications. Yet, some of these drugs can cause serious impairment problems and could interact with other drugs or foods in ways that can jeopardize workplace safety.
For example, a study performed some years back at the University of Iowa found that a dose of Benadryl, a common OTC antihistamine, can impair driving performance as much as alcohol.
The more potent prescription drugs can cause even stronger and more dangerous reactions. Some can slow brain activity and impair thinking and judgment. Breakdown products from some prescription medications can stay in the body for days as well, affecting coordination, concentration, and judgment.
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Getting the Right Information
It’s important to educate your workers about possible impairments and how to use prescription and OTC drugs safely. Encourage your employees to inform themselves about the possible job safety risks that could result from taking medications.
For OTC medications, employees can inform themselves about warnings and side effects by simply reading the label.
To find out about possible impairment caused by prescription drugs, employees should speak to the healthcare provider who issues their prescription. For example, employees should tell the healthcare provider:
- If they drive to work and/or on the job
- If they have hazardous job (for example, operating equipment or handling hazardous substances)
- About any other medications (prescription or OTC) they are taking
- About any reactions they’ve had in the past to any drugs
They should also ask about side affects that could affect job safety.
Reporting Medication Use
Require employees to inform their supervisor if they are taking any medication that could cause impairment if their job involves any kind of safety hazard. Depending on the risks, the supervisor might decide to temporarily reassign the employee while he or she is on the medication.
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Let the Employee Training Center Train Your Workers
Whether you need training about substance abuse or one of more than 60 other safety and health topics, BLR’s Employee Training Center has the courses for your employees.
Unlike many training solutions available on the market today, Employee Training Center courses are routinely reviewed and updated to reflect changes in federal regulations or best practices. Each training course is developed by BLR lawyers, industry experts, and instructional designers who have experience across a wealth of industries, topics, and compliance areas.
Courses keep participants interested with engaging audio, built-in exercises, and key points to remember. At the completion of every course, individuals take a quiz designed to test for competency in all the course material presented. Quiz results and course completion times are automatically recorded.
Every course can be tailored with supporting and custom documents. BLR provides supporting documents for courses that include complete slide show notes and the answer key for the included quiz. As the administrator, you have the option of displaying uploaded documents and requiring review before the session begins. This is especially useful for company policies or worksite-specific information. Supporting materials can be added, edited, or removed at any time.
With only a few minutes’ setup, you company will have a complete Web-based training program with professionally developed courses, employee testing capabilities, and systematic documentation of employee training sessions and scores. And remember, BLR® Employee Training Center courses can be delivered at individual employee desks, in computer centers, at training kiosks, or even in a classroom.
No wonder BLR® Employee Training Center was named “Best Workforce Training Solution” by the Software Information Industry Association. It can help you launch a cost-effective and successful employee training program.
We urge you to sign up for a no-obligation demo by visiting the award-winning Employee Training Center. Or, feel free to call our customer service people toll-free at 866-696-4827.