Medications

7. Medications

Everyone at a workplace should be alert to the fact that some medications prescribed by doctors
or available 'over the counter' may affect the ability to work safely. Prescribed and over the counter
medications can also be misused for the purposes of intoxication.
Prescription medication
Workers taking medication should find out how it may affect them by consulting their doctor. During
this consultation, they should explain their work duties to the doctor in order to determine if their
ability to work safely will be impaired by the medication.
Any directions or warnings on the medication should also be read carefully and followed.
Doctors issuing prescription medication should ask their patients about their work duties when
giving advice on the likely side-effects of medication.
Side effects that could affect work performance may include, but are not limited to, drowsiness,
being less alert, tiredness, difficulty in concentration, slowed reaction times and decreased physical
coordination.
Antihistamines, prescribed or purchased over the counter for allergies or as cold medicine, can
cause drowsiness.
'Over the counter' medication
Workers should ask their doctor or pharmacist about the short and long term effects of medication
and whether or not their ability to perform their work duties safely may be impaired.
Workers should always be alert to the fact that commonly taken medications can cause drowsiness
and impair the ability to work safely.
It is also advisable that workers inform their employer and/or relevant occupational safety and
health staff regarding any medication they are taking so that the implications for work safety can be
assessed. It is not relevant for the employer or anyone else at work to be advised why the worker
is taking medications.