As reported on the Hunton Employment & Labor Perspectives blog, the ongoing opioid epidemic is causing employers to consider the best ways to ensure a safe workplace, but companies should be careful when addressing employees’ prescription drug use. Recent court filings and settlements by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) illustrate the potential pitfalls employers face when attempting to implement a drug-free workplace. For example, the EEOC recently filed a lawsuit against a Texas painting company whom it alleges violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) when it terminated an employee who was taking methadone as part of a prescribed treatment program after he became dependent on prescribed opioid pain medication. On his first day on the job, the employee took a pre-employment drug and alcohol test. When he learned that the prescription medication he took caused the drug test to be “positive,” he…
Read more detail on Recent Business Law posts –