Workplace drug testing has existed for decades with lab-based urine testing being the dominant test method for much of that time. However, new technologies have ushered in new approaches, which could have come at a better time given how recreational marijuana laws could impact worker safety. Bill Current, the president and founder of the Current Consulting Group, joins the OH&S SafetyPod to talk about those laws, innovations such as oral fluid testing, and how those technologies are helping employers maintain safe and healthy workplaces.

Sponsored by OraSure Technologies

OraSure’s drug and alcohol testing portfolio is a minimally invasive, observed collection to detect recent drug use. The Intercept® and OralTox® Oral Fluid Tests offer a simple collection process, reduce sample tampering, and provide accurate results. Q.E.D., OraSure’s point-of-care alcohol test, offers quantitative ethanol detection with a high correlation to blood levels, and SwabTek our newest product launch can detect drugs on surfaces, and in suspected paraphernalia, within 30 seconds. Visit www.orasure.com to learn more.

As Women’s History Month and Women in Construction Week fall in March, OH&S’s SafetyPod examines the role of women in worker safety. Shawna Fraser Nagle, MS, CSP, CHST, CUSP, the Vice President of Safety at Newton, Mass.-headquartered Fraser Engineering Co. Inc., joins the podcast to discuss her experience in workplace safety, as well as the unique abilities and value that women bring to worker safety. Other topics discussed include how safety organizations are cultivating that value, and the future of women in workplace safety.

Sponsored by Columbia Southern University

For 30 years, Columbia Southern University has been a leader in occupational safety and health education. Taught by experienced safety experts, CSU’s bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in occupational safety and health are recognized by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals as Graduate Safety Practitioner® Qualified Academic Programs. Visit ColumbiaSouthern.edu/OHS to learn more.

Occupational Health & Safety’s Executive Editor David Kopf and Content Editor Robert Yaniz, Jr. kick off the new year by talking about a few safety initiatives and trends that will impact the next 12 months. Those developments, include efforts to combat workplace overdose deaths, address worker mental health, child labor investigations and more “tailored” PPE design. Additionally, Kopf and Yaniz also preview some of the editorial efforts OH&S has in the works for 2024, including our webinar programs, event coverage, online features and more.