Do you require employees in safety-sensitive jobs to report whether they use certain prescription medications? You may want to pass this story along to them as a reminder why it’s so important that they comply with your company’s policy.
A city of Jeffersonville, IN, employee had taken two prescription pain medications just seven hours before the garbage packer he was driving was involved in a five-vehicle crash that killed a teenager.
Roger Crum Jr. was taking Lortab and Flexeril for lower back pain. At first he told investigators he took the meds only at night.
But later Crum admitted he took the pills between 4:30 and 5:00 a.m. on the morning of the crash. The pile-up happened at 11:30 a.m.
When Crum’s vehicle struck a small car, it killed its driver, 19-year-old Bethany Burrier. Three others were hospitalized. Crum was treated at the scene for minor injuries.
A city report notes the FDA says Lortab can cause light-headedness, dizziness and sedation and can impair thinking and physical abilities for driving. Flexeril also comes with a warning about driving.
Jeffersonville officials were apparently unaware that Crum took the drugs. The city has a policy that requires its drivers to report taking prescribed medications to their supervisors.
What’s your company’s policy on prescription meds and workers in safety-sensitive jobs? Let us know in the Comments Box below.
