Blog

Internationally, including Australia and New Zealand, the legal use of cannabis prescribed for medical reasons is becoming more prevalent although with specific jurisdictional differences.  

Of concern for workplaces is not the legality of the medication, but the impact on safety of the workers and workplace.  

Whilst it’s not all bad, the news that Australia is leading the worldwide ice and methamphetamine epidemic is certainly not a celebratory milestone. The national wastewater program to monitor drug use has been in effect since 2016.

Australian workplace culture is becoming more accepting of drug testing and the safety narrative around why this is necessary, and as a result less of an intrusion of privacy. Let’s first establish that workplace testing is actually not mandatory in most workplaces, but it is becoming more widespread. For some workplaces such as government civil operations you must comply with drug and alcohol testing.

The origins of the EAP (Employee Assistance Program) go all the way back to the 1930’s when occupational alcoholism was rampant in the workplace and employers noticed how this type of behaviour impacted productivity and morale within the workplace.

What is Naloxone? Naloxone is a drug used to temporarily reverse an opioid overdose. It works by blocking drugs such as heroin and oxycodone from attaching to the opioid receptors in the brain. A very handy drug to have access to but should we also have it in the workplace?

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid and is prescribed by medical practitioners as a powerful medication for pain management. There are two types of fentanyl - pharmaceutical fentanyl and illicitly manufactured fentanyl. The fentanyl crisis in the US began back in 2012 in Dayton Ohio with a series of unexplained deaths, which were in actuality accidental drug overdoses. By 2015 the crisis had taken hold with over 250 people in the same region dying each year from fentanyl drug overdoses. In the US experts are referring to it as mass poisoning rather than a drug epidemic. Highlighting the lethal and insidious nature of fentanyl.

When purchasing gloves for the workplace, whether it be for drug testing or additional use cases, there’s often concern around which is more effective: latex or nitrile.

While they are both suitable options for protection, depending on a range of factors, including the environment or allergies, one may be a more appropriate solution than another.

Using infrared technology, a forehead thermometer measures the surface temperature of the skin without requiring the test administrator to touch them. Non-contact infrared thermometers or NCITs provide a safe, contactless way to test temperature in the workplace. Read on to learn how to use an infant thermometer.

Safe Work Australia has updated policies regarding work safety during COVID-19. From implementing physical distance measures to using contactless solutions to check temperature, there are a range of methods you can implement in the workplace to keep employees protected and minimise their risk of infection.

Here in Australia, deaths from unintentional drug overdoses that came from opioids, such as oxycodone, codeine and heroin, had increased 38% between 2001 and 2017. Disproportionate numbers were noted in regional Victoria and New South Wales.