John Hawes is the CCO and co-founder at SureHire Occupational Health Testing. John graduated in 2001 from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Science degree in physical therapy. From 2001 until 2013 John was a treating therapist and co-owned three physical therapy clinics. In 2005, John and his business partner started SureHire, an occupational health testing company based in Edmonton Alberta.
John has used his knowledge of physical therapy and interest in ergonomic and biomechanics to devise fit for work testing unlike anything seen in Canada before. SureHire grew quickly and expanded its services to become one of the largest occupational health testing companies in Canada.
John’s primary role in the company now is on research and best practices for every type of testing that SureHire offers. John’s belief is that occupational health testing is an ever growing and evolving field and requires continual refinement regarding policies, procedures and embracing new technologies to get the best possible employees. This helps improve the overall health of the workforce and also provides companies with the best possible picture of their workforce, both as a whole and of each individual worker.
Prescription drug abuse statistics in the U.S. and Canada show a problem that employers must take seriously.
It is not just illegally obtained drugs that pose health and safety risks in the workplace. Prescription opioid use is on the rise and even without abuse, these can...
POCT urine drug testing is a type of drug testing that, like other methods, is very dependent on what you are looking for. Before choosing a drug test, a company should...
The most common urine drug tests are 5 panel, 7 panel, and 12 panel. Which you chose for your company will depend on safety concerns, regulations, and company goals.
Oral fluid point of collection testing device manufacturers often market their products for marijuana testing but these devices fall short of the sensitivity required...
Synthetic cannabinoids have major health repercussions - and present major issues in terms of drug testing. Find out more here.
Dexterity explainedDexterity refers to the motor skill abilities in a person's hands. These are also referred to as fine motor skills....
An appropriate classification system is required to help identify occupational tasks and settings that pose risks for injury or illness in...
When it comes to sharing drug test results, it is important to understand different drug testing situations and the laws and policies that...
The first thing that any employer needs to take into consideration is that they need to make sure all of the functions that an individual...
Employers who have workers that perform or supervise safety sensitive work may choose to test their workers for sleep apnea. This may...
Untreated sleep apnea has been linked to heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, depression, diabetes and other serious medical...
Some key symptoms of sleep apnea that may present in the workplace are morning headache, memory loss, irritability, difficulty...
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder where breathing is interrupted. There are three types of sleep apnea – obstructive sleep apnea,...
An invalid drug test can occur if a urine sample contains an unknown substance or contaminant. It can also occur if the sample contains a...
When an employee refuses a non-DOT drug test, the refusal is dealt with in different ways depending on the employer and depending on the...
A fatal flaw is a critical error that was made during the collection process that cannot be corrected. Primarily, fatal flaws are related...
An employer — or anyone who’s testing — would make this decision based on the different parameters that those three...
The term eCCF stands for "Electronic Custody and Control Form." It is the electronic version of the traditional five-part custody...
The Department of Transportation (DOT) has developed rule 49 CFR part 40. This covers all the regulations for drug and alcohol testing...
A Designated Employer Representative (DER) is an individual within a company who has been appointed and trained to carry out specific...
A Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) is a person who has been trained to evaluate and provide assistance to employees who have violated the...
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is an organization within the US Department of Transportation (DOT). The FAA regulates all...
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is an organization within the US Department of Transportation (DOT). They provide financial and...
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is a bureau within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)...
The Department of Transportation (DOT) covers regulations around safety-sensitive transportation positions. These include the Federal Motor...
A DOT physical is a medical evaluation required through the Department of Transportation (DOT) for all commercial motor vehicle (CMV)...
A non-DOT urine drug test is a drug test given to an employee in a non Department of Transportation (DOT) industry. Whilst employees of DOT...
Industries that fall outside of the Department of Transportation (DOT) have a range of options to explore and consider when it comes to...
As a business owner/employer, you may choose to start a workplace wellness program once you understand the many potential benefits that...
The Disability Discrimination Act of 1995 (DDA) was formed to make it unlawful to discriminate against a person with a disability in...
The Department of Transportation (DOT) has documented policies and procedures for drug testing and alcohol testing. 49 CFR part 40 covers...
The Department of Transportation (DOT) holds its own policies and procedures for workplace drug and alcohol testing. These policies and...
The Department of Transportation (DOT) has created a set of procedures that outline each step of its workplace drug testing process....
The Department of Transportation (DOT) rule 49 CFR part 40 describes the required procedures for conducting workplace drug testing and...
A consortium/third party administrator (C/TPA) is an external company or organization that provides services to employers to help with...
A Designated Employer Representative (DER) has assigned duties within the Department of Transportation (DOT)'s drug testing and alcohol...
The Department of Transportation (DOT) rule 49 CFR part 40 describes the required procedures for conducting workplace drug testing and...
As recreational and medical marijuana has become legalized at the state level in more and more places, confusion levels surrounding an...
Fingernail drug testing can be used as an alternative to hair follicle drug testing orurine testing. Nails are made up of a material called...
There are a number of screening processes that can be used for potential employees beyond an interview. As an employer, there are various...
A physical demands analysis (PDA) is a study of all the physical requirements associated with a particular job. This analysis is then used...
Currently, there are no federal laws requiring sleep apnea testing for any industry or group of employees (Learn more in "What Happens...
Workplace wellness programs are offered by employers large and small as a means of improving employee health and safety. In 2015, nearly...
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a condition whereby the muscle that connects the esophagus and stomach doesn't function...
Even though there are pros and cons to both standing desks and sitting at a desk, studies have indicated that there is no huge benefit of a...
There is no clear cut golden rule as to what an ergonomic assessment should include. Simply put, a copy and paste assessment format from...
The benefits of implementing an ergonomic program range from an economic benefit by identifying and eliminating ergonomics related injuries...
The goal of workplace drug testing is to enhance workplace health, safety, and productivity rather than the detection of illegal activity....
In general, an employer's demand for drug testing does not violate an employee's rights. However, employer drug testing policies...
The individual who have access to your drug test results will vary depending on the circumstances of the testing. Examples of people who...
Spirometry is a common pulmonary function test (PFT) and is considered safe for most individuals. You may experience dizziness or...
Being a smoker is not something that will automatically cause your spirometry test to differ from that of a non-smoker. But any damage to...
No, drug testing will not leave bald spots. When hair is taken for drug testing, the follicle or root is not taken for sampling nor is your...
The hair collected for drug testing is cut close to the scalp or skin, not pulled from the root.Hair drug samples may be cut from any...
Yes, a hair drug test may be conducted using head or body hair.Most testing facilities require a hair sample of approximately 100...
Bleaching or dying of your hair will not prevent a positive drug test result, nor will it cause a false positive result.Because hair drug...
When you take a urine drug test, it may be administered by either a trained collector or a medical professional.Will someone watch me pee...
Oral fluid drug tests that employ laboratory-based analysis are considered to be highly accurate. The concentrations of substances detected...
Oral fluid drug testing is used to detect the presence of substances such as drugs, alcohol, steroids, or viruses in a person's saliva....
Assuming that you do not normally suffer from high blood pressure, there are still several factors that might cause your blood pressure...
The primary purpose of fitness to work testing is to assess whether or not you will be able to safely perform the tasks of the job for...
When used in a screening test, only a small sample amount is needed to conduct the saliva alcohol test. However, if you have a very dry...
The individual testing procedures for a blood alcohol test will vary depending on the type of breath alcohol testing device used and the...
An alcohol test does not necessarily mean that you are physically drunk. Instead, an alcohol test is used to detect the presence of alcohol...
Yes, in some circumstances a mouthwash containing alcohol can affect your alcohol testing results.Because some mouthwashes contain the same...
When a person consumes alcohol, it enters his or her bloodstream through the digestive system. When this alcohol-carrying blood reaches the...
The primary difference between saliva alcohol testing and a breath alcohol machine is the method used to collect the test specimen. A...
The short answer is that they are not different. The difference comes in when we look at the different testing methods used, specifically...
Testing alcohol in the body can be done by a few different ways using blood, saliva, breath, sweat, and urine. Of the above ways, blood is...
The important thing to understand about urine and oral fluid drug testing is that they are both very accurate and the sensitivity at the...
In the mid to late 1980s, there were many studies done investigating this very question. Some people were concerned that secondhand pot...
