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| Warn Workers of Dangers of Prescription and Over-the-Counter Drugs |
A report from the city of Jeffersonville, IN, into a fatal five-vehicle collision reveals that a city employee who was involved had taken two prescription drugs for back pain before starting his shift.
A garbage packer truck struck a small car driven by a 19-year-old woman, causing her death. She had stopped her vehicle in a road construction zone when the truck crashed into it. Three other vehicles were involved and three people were taken to hospital.
The report states that the garbage packer driver had taken Lortab and Flexeril for back pain. Both drugs contain warnings about operating machinery or driving. Lortab can cause light-headedness, dizziness, sleepiness, impaired thinking and impaired physical abilities, while Flexeril can cause dizziness.
The driver told police he had not seen three orange road work signs placed between 1,500 and 900 feet ahead of a flagger. The garbage packer hit the stopped car at about 35 miles per hour.
Back pain, allergies and other medical conditions, including colds and flus, are often treated with prescription and over-the-counter medications. The side effects of some of these common medications can include drowsiness and slow or impaired functioning, which ultimately can lead to a workplace injury or even a fatality.
Schedule a safety meeting with your workers to remind them of the side effects and potential dangers of working while taking these medications. Be sure to stress the importance of reading labels, alerting supervisors to medication use, taking medications as prescribed and, if necessary, canceling their shift.
Use this Safety Talk, Everyday Drugs Can Cause Accidents or this article, Medications Can be Wrong Prescriptions for Safety in your meeting.
Need access to additional resources on this topic? Try SafetySmart today and get immediate access to safety talks, presentations and more. Sign up for a free 14-day trial now. |
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| Bongarde Safety Briefing reader Chip Dawson, a Rochester, NY, safety management consultant, sent us this photograph of a framer “walking the wall” without any fall protection. It was also blistering hot that day, adding to the possibility that a dehydrated and fatigued worker could lose balance and tumble to the ground. (Lawrence H. “Chip” Dawson, Dawson Associates.)) |
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| Which Occupations Have the Most Smokers? |
Three occupations in the United States have the highest percentage of cigarette smokers. Can you guess what they are?
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC’s) Office on Smoking and Health, construction workers, miners and food service workers are most likely to smoke.
While 19.6 percent of working adults in the US are smokers, about 30 percent of workers in construction, mining and food services regularly light up. The CDC defines a smoker as someone who has smoked more than 100 cigarettes in his or her lifetime and currently smokes either every day or some days.
Factors that may account for a higher number of smokers in those industries include being younger, having fewer years of education and making less money. And those working outdoors may be more likely to smoke since they are not bound by the anti-smoking laws affecting indoor workplaces.
The CDC says librarians and teachers are least likely to smoke, with about nine percent reporting being smokers.
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Related story: Australian Worker Fined for Explosion
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