OUR BLOGS

I remember the first couple of years after my twins were born. I didn’t know that fatigue could go that deep, or that I could keep moving on such little sleep. I couldn’t really change the situation, but I never should have driven a car under those conditions. I was lucky that nothing ever happened.

Though the need for laws and regulations, in general, may not be easily denied, contention regarding the regulation of high-hazard industries tends to focus on regulations’ suitability, the degree to which they inhibit productivity, or even if they will have the intended result. Judy Greenwald’s article for Business Insurance presents how many in the US trucking industry argue that certain legislation designed to increase drivers’ safety and decrease their fatigue may actually exacerbate safety risks while also reducing productivity. Hours-of-service (HOS) rules limit drivers’ ability to travel between one and five o’clock in the morning, and many claim that these rules increase overall traffic during daylight hours and push drivers to haul the same amount of cargo despite the travel time restrictions.

“Regardless of those issues, our reliance on drug testing detracts from the true nature of impairment.”

 A July 17th ruling from the Massachusetts Supreme Court on allowing medical marijuana use as treatment for disability has essentially negated the earlier argument that federal laws override state laws in allowing marijuana use by employees.

Although improving techniques and technologies in patient care dominates much discussion in the healthcare industry, more attention has begun to be paid to the wellness of those providing that care, like physicians, nurses, surgeons, residents, and so on. When we get sick or hurt, we probably don’t give much thought to whether our healthcare providers are fatigued or even ill themselves, yet research shows they often work in spite of illness or fatigue, and fatigue is very common.¹

What’s a four-letter word that’s more contagious than the common flu? If you see it, you get it. If you hear it, you get it. Even just reading about it, most people will get it.

If you guessed yawn, you’re right! As contagious as they may be, yawns typically aren’t a cause for concern unless they’re happening in the middle of an important (boring) business meeting and send tears rolling down your face.

For some citizens of the United States, the legalization of the adult use of marijuana makes perfect sense. For others, including business leaders, there is much tension when it comes to whether employees can use marijuana in their private lives and be trusted not to be impaired when they are at work. This is matched by the tension from employees of the fairness and accuracy in the methods that workplaces use to measure whether or not they are actually impaired.