Over the past several months, we’ve unpacked one of the most misunderstood concepts in workplace safety: impairment. While the term is used often in policies, legal language, and HR conversations, it’s rarely defined clearly. That lack of clarity creates confusion, inconsistency, and risk. Through a five-part blog series, we’ve looked at impairment from multiple angles: … Read more
Many organizations still use the US DOT (Department of Transportation) 5-panel drug test. It’s familiar and referenced in many policies, but is it enough? Not anymore. Limiting your panel to cannabis, cocaine, amphetamines, opioids, and PCP leaves serious gaps. Substances like fentanyl, benzodiazepines (think Valium™), and many over-the-counter drugs (such as Wake-Ups™) are widely used … Read more
Substance use in the workplace is a complex issue, one that goes far beyond testing or identifying who used what and when. At its core, it is about safety and accountability, and a workplace culture that supports both. Whether we like it or not, substance use will always exist in some form. The real question … Read more
In my work with safety-sensitive industries, I often hear the same questions when substance use becomes a workplace concern: “What happens next?” “How do we ensure fairness?” “Is this a safety risk or something deeper?” That’s where the role of a Substance Use Expert (SUE) comes in. Some of you may know this as a … Read more
As workplaces continue to evolve their substance use policies, one recurring question is this: Can safety risk really be measured objectively? It’s a fair question and one that doesn’t have a simple answer. While alcohol impairment testing has been widely accepted and standardized for decades, cannabis and other substances present a more complicated picture. The … Read more
When we talk about fostering safe workplaces and healthy people, it’s easy to focus on policies, training, and testing. But behind the scenes, there’s a critical player ensuring those drug and alcohol testing programs are not only effective, but fair, accurate, and legally defensible. That player? The Medical Review Officer (MRO). As a workplace substance … Read more
As cannabis use becomes more normalized and socially accepted, employers face a growing challenge: how to balance shifting cultural attitudes with the ongoing need to maintain a safe work environment. Let’s continue the conversation about moving away from the vague and often unhelpful concept of “impairment” and focusing instead on safety risk. But even that … Read more
Workplace safety is a top priority, yet many employers still struggle with how to address substance use in a way that is practical, fair, and legally sound. The issue is often framed around impairment, but as I’ve discussed before, impairment is a subjective and emotionally charged term that does little to help workplaces make informed … Read more
As Chair of the International Association of Medical Review Officers, I am pleased to introduce this recently formed not-for-profit specialty organization. Who We Are IAMRO is a professional membership association of physicians and medical practitioners who provide Medical Review Officer (MRO) services in their respective countries of practice, health professionals and auditors who are Subject … Read more
As a workplace substance use consultant, I’ve seen firsthand how society often oversimplifies “impairment” as a clear state of incapacity. But the reality is far more complex. Every one of us has experienced some form of impairment—whether from alcohol, fatigue, stress, or other factors—which makes the word profoundly emotional and often misunderstood. In workplace contexts, … Read more
