Here’s how we made an impact on impairment safety in 2021:

  • Launched a mental health cost calculator in partnership with NORC and with funding from Nationwide, helping companies see the value of investing in mental health resources for their employees
  • Created the first-of-its-kind Impairment Recognition and Response Training for Supervisors that provides supervisors an understanding of the signs of impairment as well as steps they can take to respond to it
  • Established an Impairment Advisory Board with experts from all areas of impairment and specialty backgrounds to strengthen the Council’s ability to effectively execute our impairment strategy
  • Executed research on the impact of COVID-19 on substance use and mental health in the workplace to better understand emerging best practices for employers, in partnership with SAMHSA
  • Researched impairment detection technologies to help businesses identify emerging technologies that may mitigate safety hazards as a result of impairment
  • Defined workplace impairment as anything that could impede one’s ability to function normally or safely – from chemical substances, including alcohol, opioids or cannabis, to physical factors such as fatigue, as well as mental distress and social factors such as stress
  • Released the results of an employer survey showing that over 90% of employers agree with the expanded NSC definition of impairment and are just as concerned about the effects of chronic stress and mental health disorders as they are about alcohol and opioids
  • Surveyed 500 employers and 1,500 employees who reported one-third of employees have seen cannabis use during work hours; researched cannabis product regulation and its implications on consumer and worker safety, identifying states with best practices in cannabis regulation and safety
  • Successfully advocated for inclusion of NSC priorities in the FY21 federal spending legislation adopted by Congress, including improved toxicological testing for impaired drivers in fatal crashes and NHTSA funding to study the impact of cannabis and impairment
  • Published updated Recommendations for Toxicological Investigation of Drug-Impaired Driving and Motor Vehicle Fatalities
  • Advocated for employee drug testing laws to improve worker safety in Connecticut, New York and Illinois
  • Published a special edition of Family Safety & Health® magazine – in addition to the regular quarterly magazine – focused on mental health, wellness, and substance use and recovery.