Recordable Injury - Rx Meds
Hi Everyone,
Question regarding a recordable employee injury:
If an EHS Manager notices the employee was prescribed an opiate for short-term pain control as a result of an at work injury, and they are released to return to work (full duty), what precautions should be taken? I myself have taken prescribed opiate pain medication and due to tolerance from long term occasional use without side effects that may impact my job duties. However, should an EHS Manager notify or restrict an employee’s work duty(s) as a precaution due to the age old warning “may impair ability to operate heavy machinery” that is on the label of many Rx pain medications?
Comments (13)
It would help to ask the associate/employee about timing of medication. Something that is taken before bed wouldn't effect their capabilities at work, and may be the reason why (in this hypothetical) the doctor hadn't listed restrictions.
If this situation comes to fruition and this is a worker's comp doctor in a direct care state, it may be beneficial to consider using a different doctor due this oversight possibly causing an unsafe work condition.
When the employee was prescribed the opiate was there not a safety representative with the employee at his appointment with him since it was a workplace injury. As a Safety Rep for my company I attend all Doctors appointments with the employees to to better manage the case and if something like an opiate was to be prescribed you as the safety rep can ask what his limitations are while on this medication or you can ask the doctor if there is anything over the counter that they can take instead of the opiate. Now I don’t know as far as any other state but here in Texas if your prescription bottle warnings have on there that it may impair driving or cause drowsiness and you have an accident you may be charged for driving under the influence even though you have a legal prescription. I had an employee taking a prescribed weight loss pill and the doctor said he may show up positive if he randomly got selected for a drug test and he brought this to my attention and on the bottle it said may not operate motor vehicles while taking this prescription so I advised him he needed to stop taking the medication if he wanted to continue to work because he was a water truck driver and advised him of the potential consequences if he were to be involved in an accident. I would definitely intervene before an incident occurs and the employee may be facing legal actions.
I would not allow to operate any PIV eqp. or any presses.
When I worked for the construction companies they would restrict work on heavy equipment.
I have recently had an incident that we are not allowing a working to operate a forklift while on medication of this nature. He decided to call out on his own.