playnext.fm

The Occupational Safety Leadership Podcast · Dr. Ayers/Applied Safety and Environmental Management

Episode 286 - Detecting Impairment and Occupational Safety

·25 min·5 clips
Dr. David Ayers opens by introducing Episode 286 as a conversation about impairment testing. He says he wanted to revisit the topic because drugs feel more common in today's world. Ken Fitchler joins from Gaze and is introduced as the company's founder and CEO. The discussion starts with why companies need something more immediate than older drug screens. Fitchler says Gaze built a real-time test for impairment from cannabis and other drugs. He explains that the problem has become sharper in recent years with cannabis legalization. The conversation turns to the DOT test, which Ayers and Fitchler describe as the most common test. Fitchler breaks the DOT panel into five broad substance groups: cocaine, amphetamines, prescription opiates and heroin, THC, and PCP. He notes that PCP has not really been seen in the United States for about a decade. He also points out that many substances can be used and still stay outside that test. That gap matters for employers who assume the DOT panel gives them full coverage. The episode makes that limitation plain without wandering into theory. Ayers presses on fentanyl because it sits inside the opiate family and looms large in workplace risk. Fitchler explains that fentanyl is not in the DOT test yet. He says the current opiate portion does not detect fentanyl use. The discussion lands on the uncomfortable reality that someone can stay employed while still using substances the screen misses, unless the impairment becomes obvious on the job. Fitchler then describes Gaze's broader detection scope. He says the system can detect impairment from cannabinoids, including synthetic cannabinoids, opiates including fentanyl, nitazines and heroin, stimulants, alcohol and depressant drugs, dissociative anesthetics including ketamine, and some psychedelics. The interview closes with Fitchler giving the company website and email, and Ayers signing off with the usual safety reminder.

As heard by us

A clear look at real time impairment detection and the limits of the DOT drug test.

Episode 286 keeps the focus on a practical problem: how to tell whether someone is impaired, not just whether something shows up in a test. Dr.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You need a clearer read on impairment than a DOT panel gives you.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →
Listen to the show on
Apple PodcastsSpotify
Play clips from this episodeMore from The Occupational Safety Leadership Podcast