Today’s issue of WorkCompRecap features the release of a new report from the National Safety Council that examines Impairment Detection Technology, which has the potential to screen for multiple forms of impairment to aid in fitness-for-work assessments.
NSC noted that results of its survey showed that the majority of employers were interested, and while 16% of those surveyed are using IDTs, it showed a confidence in the technology, so the NSC set about researching available IDTs and their applicability to workplace safety. The NSC has also called on employers to consider far more than substance use when addressing workplace impairment and to outline in policies and procedures anything that could impede an individual’s ability to function normally or safely. This holistic approach includes a number of factors, from chemical substances such as alcohol, opioids or cannabis, to physical factors like fatigue, as well as mental distress and social factors like stress, all of which are claimed to be detectable by several of the IDTs included in the report.