Drugs

Rapid legalization, increasing use and conflicting laws are a confusing blend for employers and safety professionals attempting to set workplace policies about marijuana.

The National Safety Council reported in January that, for the first time on record, the odds of dying from an unintentional opioid overdose in a given lifetime (1 in 96) are greater than the lifetime odds of dying in a motor vehicle-related crash (1 in 103).

Cambridge, MA — Injured workers who are older, employed by organizations with smaller payrolls and in counties where more people have health insurance are more likely to receive opioid prescriptions, according to a recent study from the Workers Compensation Research Institute.

Hartford, CT — Two-thirds of employers in the United States are or will be affected by the opioid epidemic, according to the results of a recent survey.

Washington — Nearly 40 percent of pregnant nurses don’t wear protective gowns when administering powerful cancer drugs, putting their own health and that of their unborn babies at risk, results of a recent study from NIOSH suggest.

Secaucus, NJ — The rate of positive drug tests rose by double digits in five of 16 major U.S. workforce industry sectors from 2015 to 2017, according to a recent analysis by lab services provider Quest Diagnostics.

Richmond, British Columbia — In response to the Oct. 17 legalization of recreational marijuana in Canada, WorkSafeBC has launched an awareness campaign in an effort to educate employers and workers about impairment on the job.

In a memo sent Oct. 11 to regional administrators and state designees, the agency outlines examples of acceptable drug testing, and states that incentive programs that withhold prizes because of an injury are compliant “as long as the employer has implemented precautions to ensure that employees feel free to report an injury or illness.”

Washington — The Department of Labor Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs has unveiled a four-point Opioid Action Plan intended to help combat opioid misuse among injured federal employees.

Atlanta — Construction workers have the highest proportional mortality ratio for heroin- and methadone-related overdose deaths, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analysis of 26 occupations shows.