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Workplace impairment is a serious and sometimes confusing topic. The causes of impairment are varied, the effects mixed and remediation efforts, until now, have been difficult to implement. 

This guide to Workplace Impairment is designed to answer your questions and get your organization on the right track.

How is Legalized Marijuana Affecting Workplaces? 

91% of Americans agree with the relaxation of marijuana laws according to Pew Research.  This comes after marijuana has already been fully legalized in 17 states.

Shift-Workers 

15% of the U.S. full-time workforce works shifts outside the typical 9-5 day schedule. These workers are at increased risk of fatigue and shift-work disorder.

Further, a large portion of these workers work in safety-sensitive industries such as transportation, construction, healthcare, utilities, mining, aviation, agriculture, manufacturing, etc. Fatigue and shift-work disorder, if left unmanaged, could pose serious safety threats and reduce the productivity and performance of these workers. 

We are excited to announce our partnership with Pyxis Advisory Group. The Pyxis team are experts in understanding integrated safety technology in the oil gas, energy, transportation, and the industrial safety world.

Since President Reagan’s mandate for employee drug testing Federal employees in 1988, many private sector employers followed suit and continue to follow suit by testing their employees for drug use, especially in safety-sensitive industries like construction and manufacturing, under the impression that drug testing helps create and maintain a safe workplace.¹

However, more and more employers are beginning to recognize the limitations and detriments of relying on employee drug testing to enhance workplace safety, understanding that drug testing is not a preventative safety measure if it can be considered a safety measure at all.

A report by the National Safety Council illustrates that over two-thirds of employees in all industries have reported work fatigue symptoms including feeling tired while at work.¹

Half of employers in all industries have reported finding employees asleep on the job,¹ but at the same time tend to think that less than one-third of their employees are at risk for fatigue.²

Interestingly, employers overwhelmingly thought work fatigue was a safety issue, but their employees were less likely to agree.¹