On March 14, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Still signed into law the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana and Patient Protect Act. Better known as the medical marijuana “Unity Bill,” the law adds regulatory clarity to the state’s medical marijuana law, specifically as it relates to Oklahoma employers.
Incorporating multiple reasons for drug & alcohol testing programs can prevent employers from hiring drug-using applicants while also minimizing substance abuse among current employees.
For many years drug testing was a paper driven industry, resulting in slow, inaccurate and inefficient processes. Over the past few years, drug testing has begun transitioning to electronic Custody and Control Forms (eCCF), making drug testing easier for both employers and donors.
Often times mistakes happen at collection sites because tests are not ordered in TEAM’s system and the donor doesn’t have proper paperwork. In order to reduce collection site errors, TEAM encourages all clients to order tests in the system.
Last year, the Department of Transportation issued a final rule that expanded the DOT drug testing panel to include four semi-synthetic opioids. The rule became effective Jan. 1, 2018, and was an effort by the DOT to address the national opioid crisis. Since the final rule was issued, several operators have made changes to their contractor panel requirements in order …
DOT Changes Lead to New Operator Requirements Keep Reading »
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, there were over 20,000 deaths related to synthetic opioids in 2016. Synthetic overdoses resulted in more deaths than heroin, cocaine, semi-synthetic opioids and methamphetamine overdoses.
An essential part of any drug testing program is education. Both supervisors and employees should be educated on substance abuse in the workplace. TEAM offers clients complete program management services, including education tools for both you and your employees.
The world of drug testing is ever changing. Laws are complex, inconsistent and constantly evolving, so having an industry partner who is knowledgeable on regulations and state law is essential.
As published in the 2016 National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), more than five thousand workers died from work-related injuries in the U.S. in 2016. This is a 7% increase from 2015 and the highest annual figure since 2008.
