Booze and drugs might seem like a good time, but they can lead to a real downer if you mix these substances with your work life.
If you are considered “under the influence” of drugs or alcohol when—as a result of consuming any amount of alcohol or drugs—your mental or physical faculties are so impaired that it reduces your ability to think and act with ordinary care.
What happens when we are impaired in this way? Accidents! Injuries to ourselves and others around us. Yep, pain and suffering, folks.
What does Ohio workers’ compensation law say about anyone who is injured while under the influence?
Here it is: R.C. 4123.54(A) (2) says that an injury occurring at work is not compensable if it is “caused by the employee being intoxicated or under the influence of a controlled substance not prescribed by a physician, where the intoxication or being under the influence of the controlled substance not prescribed by a physician was the proximate cause of the injury. . . .” In layman’s terms, if you come to work impaired, can’t function with ordinary care and get injured as a result, your claim will be denied. That will sober you up pretty fast.
Drug use may impact a worker’s compensation claim even if there is no proof that the injured worker was impaired at the time of the injury. For example, you may be fired. This is considered a voluntary dismissal. This may lead to an injured worker being denied a workers’ compensation claim or the lost wages that they would otherwise be entitled to.
Think about this: An injured worker submits to a drug/alcohol test at the time of the injury and it is negative, but then takes the test another time and is found to be positive for a controlled substance. The employee may be immediately terminated, as this violates company policy. Meanwhile, the injury claim is being adjudicated. It is determined that the termination constitutes voluntary dismissal, and the injured worker may not be paid for their lost time.
Laws that were created to protect injured workers’ cannot protect you if you choose to go to work while under the influence. So be sensible, people! Don’t show up for work stoned or trashed. It’s the best way to make sure that you are completely protected from all workplace injuries.