Report Implicates Prescription Drugs in Fatal Crash
A report from the city of Jeffersonville, IN, into a fatal five-vehicle collision reveals that a city employee who was involved had taken two prescription drugs for back pain before starting his shift.
A garbage packer truck struck a small car driven by a 19-year-old woman, causing her death. She had stopped her vehicle in a road construction zone when the truck crashed into it. Three other vehicles were involved and three people were taken to hospital.
The report states that the garbage packer driver had taken Lortab and Flexeril for back pain. Both drugs contain warnings about operating machinery or driving. Lortab can cause light-headedness, dizziness, sleepiness, impaired thinking and impaired physical abilities, while Flexeril can cause dizziness.
Crum told police he had not seen three orange road work signs placed between 1,500 and 900 feet ahead of a flagger. The garbage packer hit the stopped car at about 35 miles per hour.
Share this story with your workers and warn them about driving while taking muscle relaxants/pain killers for back pain.
Read MoreMill Wants to Resume Random Alcohol Tests
CBC news has reported that a New Brunswick pulp and paper mill is contesting a ruling by an arbitrator stating that it cannot administer random alcohol tests to its workers.
Unionized workers at Irving Pulp and Paper Mill in Saint John, NB, won an arbitration that put the brakes on a 2006 company policy of randomly testing its workers to see if they had been drinking.
While random alcohol testing no longer occurs, employees who are suspected of drinking on the job are still being tested. The mill is seeking a judicial review of the arbitrator’s ruling.
Mike MacMullin, president of Local 30 of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada, says the company’s policy has drastically violated workers’ rights, presuming them “guilty” until proven innocent.
But company lawyer William Goss says the policy isn’t aimed at catching anyone drinking on the job, but rather toward promoting a safer workplace and deterring people from drinking on the job.
Read MoreDevice Disables Bus if Driver Exceeds Blood-Alcohol Limit
A British bus line, National Express, is equipping its buses with devices that require drivers to self-test their blood alcohol levels before each run.
If they fail a breathalyzer test, the bus will not start. The system, called Alcolock, is being fitted to 500 National Express buses following a two-year test trial.
The company implemented the safety measure after one of its drivers crashed a bus on a major motorway in England, injuring 33 passengers in September 2007.
If a driver fails the breath test, the bus company’s control room is alerted, the level of impairment is automatically recorded and an investigation is ordered.
Read MoreNuclear Weapon Drivers Reportedly Drunk on Job
Nukes and booze don’t mix, particularly when some US government employees whose job it was to transport nuclear weapons in trucks reportedly got drunk on the job.
Sixteen alcohol-related incidents among drivers have been investigated by the US Energy Department’s assistant inspector general. The incidents occurred between 2007 and 2009 and involved National Nuclear Security Administration Office of Surface Transportation personnel.
In certain cases some of the workers were detained by police while on the job. The agency prevents agents from consuming alcohol for 10 hours before they report to work. In several instances, workers parked vehicles in “safe harbors” before checking into hotels and drinking.
Read MoreSubstance Abuse: The Clues are There
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) estimates as many as 20 percent of workers who die on the job in the United States test positive for alcohol or other drugs.
The situation is equally troubling in Canada. A study conducted by the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Commission revealed that 11 percent of employees had used alcohol and 10 percent had used other drugs while at work during the past year.
Construction, mining, manufacturing and wholesale industries have the highest rates of drug use. Would you be able to name 10 indicators of possible substance abuse among workers?
Here’s a list of red flag issues:
- A higher number of injuries, illnesses or ailments among certain workers
- Changes in attendance
- Workers disappearing from their work areas
- Safety or policy violations
- Injury incidents or close calls at work
- Missed deadlines
- Substandard quality of work
- Making excuses for poor work performance
- Mood swings
- A pattern of conflict with others
- Complaints from co-workers or customers
- Changes in ability to concentrate
- Changes in amount or quality of work
- Catching workers sleeping on the job
- Being unfit for work duties and sent home as a result
Info to go: For information on dealing with suspected substance abusers in your workplace, click on the link at www.SafeSupervisor.com
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