Drugs

Lebanon, NH – Disabled workers receiving Medicare benefits are increasingly using prescription painkillers, according to a new study from the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice.

Laws and attitudes are changing rapidly regarding medical marijuana, which has been legalized by nearly half of the states in the country. But each state’s law varies, leaving more questions than answers when it comes to employers with safety-sensitive positions.

Itasca, IL – The National Safety Council has released a guide and toolkit to help employers understand what they can do to fight prescription painkiller abuse by workers.

Washington – A proposed rule from the Federal Railroad Administration would expand the scope of alcohol and drug regulations to cover employees who perform maintenance-of-way activities, which include the inspection, installation, repair and maintenance of track or roadbed.

Cambridge, MA – Narcotics are frequently prescribed within the workers’ compensation system to help relieve pain among injured workers, and the prescribing frequency varies from state to state, according to a new study from the Workers Compensation Research Institute.

Arlington, VA – A group of organizations representing the truck and bus industries and law enforcement is petitioning the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to expand the scope of the agency’s proposal for establishing a national database of truck and bus drivers’ drug and alcohol test results.

Washington – The Federal Aviation Administration is extending to July 17 the comment period for its proposal to require certain foreign aircraft maintenance workers to undergo routine drug and alcohol testing.

Washington – The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is extending the comment period to May 21 for a proposal that would establish a national database of commercial truck and bus drivers’ drug and alcohol testing results.

Pensacola, FL – The American Association of Occupational Health Nurses and the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine will be working together on a task force to study the safety and health issues associated with marijuana and other drug use among workers.

Washington – The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has proposed establishing a national database of commercial truck and bus drivers’ drug and alcohol testing results.