Alcohol Abuse: 04. How Do I Know if Someone is Impaired?

The rules of the 1991 Omnibus Transportation Employee Testing Act require that supervisors receive training regarding what constitutes alcohol impairment. It might sound simple enough- if someone appears intoxicated, you should test them, but everyone responds to alcohol differently. Someone who might not appear outwardly impaired could have a blood alcohol content (BAC) higher than the legal limit. And even though they aren't slurring words or stumbling, their reaction time and decision-making skills were impacted when their very first drink hit the bloodstream. It's your job to fully understand alcohol impairment, so you can decide when to refer one of your employees for alcohol testing.