The percentage of positive drug tests among American workers has increased for the first time in more than a decade, fueled by a rise in marijuana and amphetamines, according to an analysis of 8.5 million urine, oral fluid and hair workplace drug test results by Quest Diagnostics.
The National Safety Council calls on companies to take actions to combat the nation's fastest growing drug epidemic
July 31, 2014
The number of people overdosing from opioid prescription painkillers is staggering, killing 45 people each day. Twenty-three percent of the workforce has misused prescription painkillers, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, making opioid use a serious threat to employee safety.
Nearly two-thirds of emergency room patients who reported drug use in the previous 30 days met the criteria for having a drug problem, according to a study published online Thursday in Annals of Emergency Medicine (“Identifying Patients with Problematic Drug Use in the Emergency Department: Results of a Multi-Site Study”).
Goal: to help workplaces get ready for impact of increasing use
March 25, 2014
The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) and the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses (AAOHN) have announced plans to collaborate in a study of workplace health and safety issues associated with worker impairment from the use of marijuana and other drugs.
Chemotherapy drug handling linked to higher cancer risk
November 6, 2013
Starting January 1, 2014, health care workers in California will have new protections in the form of legislation that establishes workplace safety practices for the safe handling of chemotherapy drugs.
Of total drug users in the U.S., 74.8 percent are employed and active in the workplace — this means that 12.9 million individuals actively use drugs in the workforce, according to OSHA.
High-fat, sugary foods during pregnancy linked to problems in offspring
August 15, 2013
Vulnerability to alcohol and drug abuse may begin in the womb and be linked to how much fatty and sugary foods a mother eats during pregnancy, according to findings from animal lab experiments presented at APA’s 121st Annual Convention.
Approximately eight million U.S. health care workers are year are potentially exposed to hazardous drugs used to treat patients. “It seems counter-intuitive that the health care industry, whose mission is the care of the sick, is itself a "high-hazard" industry for the workers it employs,” notes a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) webpage on the subject.
The National Transportation Safety Board is recommending that the U.S. Coast Guard increase its post-accident drug and alcohol testing standards to the level of those required of merchant mariners.
Psychotherapy is effective, helps reduce the overall need for health services and produces long-term health improvements – but fewer people are using it, according to a survey conducted by the American Psychological Association (APA).