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medication - request doc clearance for driving

rosfinrosfin 15 Posts
in FMLA/ADA/Workers’ Comp Vote Up0Vote Down
I have caution bells going off in my head, so I am hoping someone has dealt with similar situations. We have a new EE that has been hired for a specific position but his supervisor would also like to have him "approved" to to drive a company vehicle if needed occassionally. My questions deals with the fact that his post offer testing indicates that he does use a prescription pain medication daily. My concern is whether driving is not recommended when taking this medication especially since a company vehicle would be involved. Since this is a safety issue, I am thinking I would like to issue a form for his doctor to complete which would only address whether or not he is capable of safely performing driving duties. Anyone have thoughts on this?
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  • 3 Comments sorted by Votes Date Added
  • joanniejoannie 2,294 Posts
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    When you say "Post offer testing" indicates he is using pain meds, are you talking about substance abuse testing? If so, I would contact the MRO who handles your drug testing program and ask him if you have a safety issue if you allow the employee to drive.

    If you haven't already put a drug testing policy that allows random, post accident and for cause testing in place, you might want to consider it and depending on your state laws include anyone who has occasion to drive a company vehicle or who drives a personal vehicle on company business.

    I would also be sure driving a company vehicle or a personal vehicle on company business was included in the job description.
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  • rosfinrosfin 15 Posts
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    We do have post offer drug testing, but we simply get a pass or if they fail for what substance. We also do a physical capacity profile to make sure they can handle the weights we require and it was there that he had indicated he uses prescription pain meds. This test is not given by an actual MD so that is why I was thinking that I could give him a very narrow written request to present to his doctor to indicate whether or not he is capable of safely performing driving duties. I know it is a "touchy" area and wanted to see if anyone had thoughts on it before proceeding. Thanks for the response.
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  • Nevada HRNevada HR 274 Posts
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    Do you have written job descriptions? You could require a "Fitness for Duty" based on his job description.
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