The purpose of this WorkSaver newsletter article is to explain WorkSaver’s current physical agility testing policy related to test recipients using pain killing drugs and to provide guidance to employers on how to handle employees who are taking prescription medications,…

In 1996, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act or the HIPAA was endorsed by the U.S. Congress. The HIPAA Privacy Rule, also called the Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information, provided the first nationally-recognizable regulations for the…

Background Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”) requires an employer to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities who are employees or applicants for employment, unless to do so would cause undue hardship. “In…

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), also referred to as obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea (OSAH), is a sleep disorder that involves cessation or significant decrease in airflow in the presence of breathing effort. It is the most common type of sleep-disordered breathing and…

WorkSaver is happy to announce the implementation of its new online scheduling and testing software program. The software utilizes a secure, HIPAA compliant online system that allows our client companies easy access to scheduling and reporting. Once a WorkSaver client…

The FMLA has been around for almost a quarter century now. Employers have no excuse for ignoring the law. If managers and supervisors don’t understand what the FMLA requires or if you don’t have appropriate checks in place to make…

The DASH diet plan was developed by Marla Heller, MS, RD to lower blood pressure without medication in research sponsored by the US National Institutes of Health, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. The first DASH diet research showed that it…

The opioid epidemic is well known today and creating a big problem for businesses. So, it is timely to address how we should deal with prescription drugs, in particular pain killers, when conducting FFD tests. Since individuals who use illegal…

Although the primary burden of legal compliance in FFD programs falls on employers, it is beneficial, if not imperative, that fitness for duty (FFD) evaluators help employers understand how to correctly implement and manage FFD programs for their employees. Administrative…

In general, prior to a job offer, a job applicant may be asked about any current illegal use of drugs (including the use of prescription drugs without a lawful prescription) as such inquiries are not prohibited by federal and state…