“You know, Ryan’s behavior seems a little bit peculiar today,” you think to yourself. I wonder if he could be under the influence of something.”
As a supervisor working closely with employees, you are often the first line of defense when it comes to recognizing signs of drug or alcohol impairment and maintaining a safe work environment.
Approaching an employee who may be under the influence of drugs or alcohol is your responsibility.
Without initiating reasonable suspicion testing, you could be putting him/her, and other employees at risk of injury.
When confronting the employee, expect the excuse.
They may lie, defend their behavior or skirt around the issue in an attempt to avoid reasonable suspicion testing.
Take a look at five of the most common excuses given:
How to Handle Excuses
If you encounter employee explanations for impaired behavior, it’s important to have trained managers who are able to make a decision as to whether reasonable suspicion testing is warranted.
Whether testing is performed or not, it is vital that the employer’s actions are consistent and documented.
Need Help with Maintaining an Effective Drug and Alcohol Program?
When it comes to drug and alcohol testing programs, Axiom Medical knows the ins and outs of every type of test, which include:
- Pre-employment
- Post Incident
- Reasonable Suspicion/Cause
- Return to Work
- Random
We do all the work so you don’t have to. Give us a call at 281.465.7100 to find out just how easy a simplified solution to drug testing can be!
Holly is an ER nurse by trade, but loves content marketing. She was born outside the box and believes everything is better with “sprinkles and sparkles”. She is passionate about impacting lives and uses marketing as her platform for sharing practical solutions to address real life occupational health challenges.
Find out more about our Injury Case Management services or our Occupational Health Programs.
