Page 47 - OHS, October 2022

Saliva alcohol screens. Saliva alcohol screens are permitted only as a screen under the DOT regulations. Most states also permit saliva alcohol screens, though some conditions may apply. Keep in mind that some jurisdictions only permit the use of devices approved by ODAPC.
Blood. Blood tests may be permitted under limited circumstances, though not in all states. In some circumstances, employers may rely on a blood alcohol test conducted by medical personnel at the scene of an accident and/or in a hospital.
Conclusion
A 2015 study found that marijuana users commonly drink alcohol while they are consuming cannabis. According to the study, “The prevalence of simultaneous use was almost twice as high as concurrent use, implying that individuals who use both cannabis and alcohol tend to use them at the same time.”11
What’s the point? As marijuana legalization continues to spread across the
country resulting in many more people using marijuana, a simultaneous increase in alcohol abuse can be expected. As such, employers have a vested interest in ensuring that their workers are alcohol-free while on the job. Alcohol screening when and how permitted is one of the most effective ways
REFERENCES
for employers to deter workers from using alcohol on the job or being at work while under its inflfluence.
Bill Current is the president and founder of the Current Consulting Group (CCG).
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OCTOBER 2022 | Occupational Health & S5/a5f/2e2ty 1:40 P4M3
1. https://newsroom.questdiagnostics.com/2022-03-30-Workforce-Drug-Test-Positivity-Climbs-to- Highest-Level-in-Two-Decades,-Finds-Quest-Diagnostics-Drug-Testing-Index-Analysis
2. https://www.samhsa.gov/newsroom/press-announcements/202110260320 3. https://drugabuse.com/addiction/substance-abuse-workplace/
4. https://allonehealth.com/alcohol-awareness-and-the-workplace/#:~:text=Some%20facts%20 about%20alcohol%20in%20the%20workplace%20from%20NCADD%3A&text=Analyses%20of%20workpla- ce%20fatalities%20showed,once%20in%20the%20past%20year.
5. https://allonehealth.com/alcohol-awareness-and-the-workplace/#:~:text=Some%20facts%20 about%20alcohol%20in%20the%20workplace%20from%20NCADD%3A&text=Analyses%20of%20workpla- ce%20fatalities%20showed,once%20in%20the%20past%20year.
6. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210401005098/en/49-of-U.S.-Workers-Are- Struggling-with-Alcohol-and-Substance-Abuse
7. https://www.hazeldenbettyford.org/about-us/news-media/press-release/mental-health-index-report 8. https://adata.org/faq/are-alcoholics-covered-ada
11. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4399000/
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