Employee on medication - what should i do ??
22 April 2007, 03:02 PM
#1
Scooby Senior
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: West Yorks.
Posts: 4,130
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Employee on medication - what should i do ??
One of my employees is taking a morphine-based medication due to an injury he sustained some time ago. Now his occupation is sheet metal worker, so I was wondering whether or not its safe to let him come to work. I've looked at the stuff he's taking ('oramorph') and it has the usual dont drive or operate heavy machinery disclaimer. Should I make him go on the sick or let him work ? Obviously I want to be compliant with health & safety as well as employment regs. Any advice appreciated
22 April 2007, 03:34 PM
#2
Scooby Regular
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 5,582
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Interesting one. I know NOTHING about employment law/h and s but there are people out there with chronic pain syndromes (on opiods) and working. With chronic use people often become tolerant of the side effects ie sedation.
Safest bet would be to perhaps get an occupational health doctor to make the call?
Safest bet would be to perhaps get an occupational health doctor to make the call?
22 April 2007, 05:25 PM
#4
Scooby Senior
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: RIP - Tam the bam & Andy the Jock
Posts: 14,333
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Its an occupational health issue, in a small company you won't have these useless fcukwits on tap so I would suggest you ask the employee permission to contact his GP and check on his opinion (as a competent person) on the employee's suitability to operate metal cutting equipment while on the medication provided.
Safety first & all that..... if you don't do anything and something happens to him, he'll take you to the cleaners and the HSE will have a field day.
Agree with Alcazar, people like him are 1 in a million, support him whatever happens.... if he can't work that machine move him to something less hazardous!
Safety first & all that..... if you don't do anything and something happens to him, he'll take you to the cleaners and the HSE will have a field day.
Agree with Alcazar, people like him are 1 in a million, support him whatever happens.... if he can't work that machine move him to something less hazardous!
22 April 2007, 05:56 PM
#5
Scooby Senior
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: West Yorks.
Posts: 4,130
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Not exactly the words I'd use to describe him - he's a workshy slacker and the poison pill in my happy manufacturing environment ! He complained that he was too unwell to work on Friday and took the day off. Yet when I popped into work to pick some stuff up today, I noted (from looking at the network camera footage) that he was well enough to come in this morning to do a cash job for someone !!
22 April 2007, 06:29 PM
#6
Scooby Senior
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: RIP - Tam the bam & Andy the Jock
Posts: 14,333
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Not exactly the words I'd use to describe him - he's a workshy slacker and the poison pill in my happy manufacturing environment ! He complained that he was too unwell to work on Friday and took the day off. Yet when I popped into work to pick some stuff up today, I noted (from looking at the network camera footage) that he was well enough to come in this morning to do a cash job for someone !!
He brings balane to the force, as someone has to make the other fcukwits look good and that task lies with him.
Anyhoo.... a badteam player is the responsibility of the supervisor & manger, maybe he needs more motivation, better training, more one on one....
Or failing that you could always sack the ****
22 April 2007, 06:57 PM
#7
BANNED
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 2,846
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
the law states that you have a legal responsability to your employees . obviously you know about his medical condition . in my opinion i would offer him a position where he could do him self little harm in your company
Trending Topics
22 April 2007, 08:58 PM
#9
Scooby Regular
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Notts, UK
Posts: 4,935
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
As others have stated it is your responsibility to consider his suitability for the jobs you deploy him too. You know of his medical problems and medication.
If you deploy him on moving machinery and blade work and he injures himself then you need to be able to prove you have taken all reasonable steps to asess his suitability for that job taking into account his disability and medication.
My wife sometimes takes oramorph and she wont drive as she feels spaced out after taking it.
If I were you I'd be looking at getting some advice from an occupational health organisation.
Cheers
Lee
If you deploy him on moving machinery and blade work and he injures himself then you need to be able to prove you have taken all reasonable steps to asess his suitability for that job taking into account his disability and medication.
My wife sometimes takes oramorph and she wont drive as she feels spaced out after taking it.
If I were you I'd be looking at getting some advice from an occupational health organisation.
Cheers
Lee
22 April 2007, 10:30 PM
#11
Scooby Regular
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Trailing behind the others
Posts: 130
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Can you be sure he's not taking them?
Are they prescribed by a GP or Psychiatrist?
If by the GP has he been refered elsewhere for the problem?
A lot of GP's hand out mild antidepressants for very minor things and are used more as a pick me up rather than to control psychotic or agressive behaviour
23 April 2007, 03:42 AM
#12
Scooby Regular
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Donaghadee, Northern Ireland
Posts: 109
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
If the guy has just started taking it then give him a few weeks off, as, for the first few weeks of taking it, it causes drowsiness. After 3 weeks he should be fine as his body will have adjusted to the medication in his bloodstream and will have balanced out the drowsiness by producing a form of adrenaline to get him back to normal. It won't affect his ability to work at all, and what's more, if you try to stop him from doing his job on those grounds, you could end up in bother yourself.
Just check whether or not he is taking it regularly (i.e. daily), because if he only takes it now and again, then his body wouldn't regulate, as the meds aren't constantly in his system. That would be the only scenario that would affect his ability to do the job safely.
I take a morphine-based analgesic called Oxycodone for an illness that causes constant pain so I have a good bit of experience with it, I'm also at Med school so that would be my advice.
Taking morphine on a regular basis gives you nothing like the effects that having it as a once off would, i.e. in hosp, it just eases pain, nothing else.
Hope this helps.
Just check whether or not he is taking it regularly (i.e. daily), because if he only takes it now and again, then his body wouldn't regulate, as the meds aren't constantly in his system. That would be the only scenario that would affect his ability to do the job safely.
I take a morphine-based analgesic called Oxycodone for an illness that causes constant pain so I have a good bit of experience with it, I'm also at Med school so that would be my advice.
Taking morphine on a regular basis gives you nothing like the effects that having it as a once off would, i.e. in hosp, it just eases pain, nothing else.
Hope this helps.
Last edited by scooby_girlie; 23 April 2007 at 03:44 AM. Reason: spelling error
24 April 2007, 11:16 AM
#13
Scooby Regular
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 39,877
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
If the guy has just started taking it then give him a few weeks off, as, for the first few weeks of taking it, it causes drowsiness. After 3 weeks he should be fine as his body will have adjusted to the medication in his bloodstream and will have balanced out the drowsiness by producing a form of adrenaline to get him back to normal. It won't affect his ability to work at all, and what's more, if you try to stop him from doing his job on those grounds, you could end up in bother yourself.
Just check whether or not he is taking it regularly (i.e. daily), because if he only takes it now and again, then his body wouldn't regulate, as the meds aren't constantly in his system. That would be the only scenario that would affect his ability to do the job safely.
I take a morphine-based analgesic called Oxycodone for an illness that causes constant pain so I have a good bit of experience with it, I'm also at Med school so that would be my advice.
Taking morphine on a regular basis gives you nothing like the effects that having it as a once off would, i.e. in hosp, it just eases pain, nothing else.
Hope this helps.
Just check whether or not he is taking it regularly (i.e. daily), because if he only takes it now and again, then his body wouldn't regulate, as the meds aren't constantly in his system. That would be the only scenario that would affect his ability to do the job safely.
I take a morphine-based analgesic called Oxycodone for an illness that causes constant pain so I have a good bit of experience with it, I'm also at Med school so that would be my advice.
Taking morphine on a regular basis gives you nothing like the effects that having it as a once off would, i.e. in hosp, it just eases pain, nothing else.
Hope this helps.
Les
24 April 2007, 11:29 AM
#14
Scooby Regular
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Tellins, Home of Super Leagues finest, and where a "split" is not all it seems.
Posts: 5,504
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Has he disclosed the health problem to you or have you stumbled across his pills?
If you dont know of his condition through his own disclosure then you dont know about it, so start him on a disciplinary path towards doledom for being nothing but a slacker...
If you dont know of his condition through his own disclosure then you dont know about it, so start him on a disciplinary path towards doledom for being nothing but a slacker...
24 April 2007, 12:03 PM
#15
Scooby Regular
Join Date: Nov 2001
Posts: 4,788
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
If the guy has just started taking it then give him a few weeks off, as, for the first few weeks of taking it, it causes drowsiness. After 3 weeks he should be fine as his body will have adjusted to the medication in his bloodstream and will have balanced out the drowsiness by producing a form of adrenaline to get him back to normal. It won't affect his ability to work at all, and what's more, if you try to stop him from doing his job on those grounds, you could end up in bother yourself.
Just check whether or not he is taking it regularly (i.e. daily), because if he only takes it now and again, then his body wouldn't regulate, as the meds aren't constantly in his system. That would be the only scenario that would affect his ability to do the job safely.
I take a morphine-based analgesic called Oxycodone for an illness that causes constant pain so I have a good bit of experience with it, I'm also at Med school so that would be my advice.
Taking morphine on a regular basis gives you nothing like the effects that having it as a once off would, i.e. in hosp, it just eases pain, nothing else.
Hope this helps.
Just check whether or not he is taking it regularly (i.e. daily), because if he only takes it now and again, then his body wouldn't regulate, as the meds aren't constantly in his system. That would be the only scenario that would affect his ability to do the job safely.
I take a morphine-based analgesic called Oxycodone for an illness that causes constant pain so I have a good bit of experience with it, I'm also at Med school so that would be my advice.
Taking morphine on a regular basis gives you nothing like the effects that having it as a once off would, i.e. in hosp, it just eases pain, nothing else.
Hope this helps.
ouldn't like to be him when he decides to come off them though, Morhine or Oxycodone is not that far off a heroin withdrawl.
24 April 2007, 12:09 PM
#16
Scooby Regular
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Donaghadee, Northern Ireland
Posts: 109
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post