Very pleased to have Jeff Thompson as the featured speaker for this year’s Drug Free Workplace seminar. A partner with the law firm Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP, Jeff’s primary focus is on representing management in employment, litigation, labor matters, providing general advice to clients as well as training clients on preventative measures to avoid litigation.
Also, he serves as the Labor Counsel to the Georgia Employers’ Association.
In the past, the need for workplace safety has primarily focused on equipment, processes and the conditions of the physical workplace. Those issues remain extremely important; however, drugs and drug use by employees have garnered equal if not more attention. And rightfully so.
“Companies have a legal liability to provide a safe work environment as well as to protect the public from harm by some action of their employee in the line of duty. As a result, they should drug test to protect their workers and customers.”
-Visions, Winter 2020, NAOHP
There is no quick and easy answer for employers when it comes to drug screening employees. The bottom line is this: The federal government and all states still uphold and maintain an employers right to drug test and take action against a positive drug test.
The U.S. Department of Labor and the National Institute on Drug Abuse have found that employees who suffer from drug or alcohol dependency are nearly 3 times more likely to either cause or personally experience an injury-related absence from work. When a person is under the influence of a drug, whether for medical purposes or recreational use, the reflexes slow down, the ability to make rational decisions is negatively impacted, and the user can in many cases subject others to unsafe circumstances or environments that can cause injury and even a fatality.
Because of a tightening labor pool, some companies have considered eliminating drug testing or even “relaxing” their current drug screening programs. Not only would that decision place their employees and customers at risk, but it will turn back more than 100 years of efforts made to protect our nation’s workforce and meet the commitments that employers made to their hard-working employees that ” safety is our #1 priority .”
Regarding this decision, employers should consider:
Culpability the employer will face by putting its non-drug using workforce in jeopardy of injury.
Risks/costs associated with assuming 100% liability for any and all workplace accidents caused by employee substance use.
Sources: NAOHP, OH&S, www.psychemedics.com
MOM assists injured workers returning to work quickly and safely through our workers’ compensation case management program.
Drug Screening
Accreditation Macon Occupational Medicine is accredited by the Drug & Alcohol Testing Industry Association (DATIA), which means our facility adheres to the highest possible standards to assure we protect our customers. All staff performing collections have undergone specialized training and credentialing to perform these services. Each staff member is required to pass a written exam
Physical Examinations
All physicals performed at Macon Occupational Medicine evaluate the individual’s ability to perform the essential functions of a job, while documenting pre-existing conditions that may pose a potential risk factor to the individual.
Rehabilitation Services
At Macon Occupational Medicine, our Rehabilitation program provides comprehensive, cost-effective services to meet the needs of our clients. The goal of our program is to assist in the management of injuries through objective and effective rehabilitation techniques.
Functional Capacity Evaluations
Macon Occupational Medicine is dedicated to a comprehensive and effective approach to management of work injuries. Not only do we provide effective and immediate care of the musculoskeletal aspects of work injury, we now have increased our effectiveness in performing Functional Capacity Evaluations.
Impairment Evaluations
MOM will concentrate specifically on the area or areas of impairment. For example, if the lumbosacral spine is the only area of impairment, then we will concentrate testing procedures to that area only. Our evaluation includes a comprehensive history and physical evaluation to the area(s) of impairment.
Health and Employee Wellness Programs
In our continuous effort to offer a “one-stop shop” for occupational medicine, Macon Occupational Medicine is in the process of introducing an Employee Wellness Program for industries in Central Georgia. The goal of this program will be to create a healthier lifestyle, workplace, and to prevent injuries.
Safety Programs
Accreditation Macon Occupational Medicine is accredited by the Drug & Alcohol Testing Industry Association (DATIA), which means our facility adheres to the highest possible standards to assure we protect our customers. All staff performing collections have undergone specialized training and credentialing to perform these services. Each staff member is required to pass a written exam
COVID-19 Testing
MOM is here to provide critical screening and testing solutions for your company and employees. Taking the right precautions ahead of time is your best course of action to protect your workforce from becoming infected. However, even with safeguards and processes in place, it is possible that you will have an employee(s) exposed, or test
Flight Medical Exams
Guy D. Foulkes, M.D., FAOA, an avid pilot himself, has partnered with MOM to provide the following FAA Medical Exams: Basic Class 2 Class 3 You now have a trusted partner in Middle Georgia who has the same goal as you: Keep flying!
