Dangerous Class of Medicines in the Workplace - Free Essay Example

The most dangerous class of medicines in the workplace is the opioids, which includes drugs such as heroin, Oxycontin, codeine, morphine, and hydrocodone. The use of these drugs causes dependence, and an overdose can cause death. The drugs are dangerous because they interact with opioid receptors in the brain and the cells of the body. The prolonged use of these drugs can lead to abnormal pain sensitivity and tolerance to the drug, which is dangerous in the workplace since a worker cannot perform efficiently (Lardon, et al., 2017). The drugs cause low productivity because employees must use the drugs in order to perform. In the case of pain, people who use these drugs are affected a lot because the sensitivity to pain enhances. Expired medication can be discarded safety by following the disposal instructions on the label. The expired medicines can be transferred to collectors that are registered with the administration that enforces drugs. In the case that there are no disposal instructions on the label, the drugs can be thrown in the trashcan whereby they have to be removed from the original container (Taras, et al., 2014). It is important to mix the drugs with undesirable substances like litter to ensure that they are not appealing. The drugs also need to be placed in a sealable bag to prevent it from leaking and then disposed of in the trashcan. Controlled substances are any chemicals that alter the mental or the physical state of the user. The drugs with high abuse potential are in the Schedule one, and they include the medications that do not have any medical use and are unsafe for use. The schedule two is the drugs with dependency potential and high abuse level, but they have medical purposes. Level 3 and 4 is the drugs with a low risk of addiction and ill-treatment while level five is the cough medicines. The drugs are supervised in the workplace by ensuring that the workers are aware of the risks and side effects of the drugs (Lardon, et al., 2017). Checking the efficiency of the contractors and putting control measures regarding health and safety policy. Workers are trained how to raise concern in the case of unfamiliarity issues and difficulties in communication.