As employers grapple with evolving marijuana laws and their impact on the workplace, they should note that many states that provide employment protections for cannabis users have exceptions for workers in safety-sensitive roles. But what exactly is a safety-sensitive job?
“Safety-sensitive generally means that a position involves some aspect of a heightened danger that requires an employee’s full and unimpaired skills and judgment to safely execute his or her job,” said Mary Will, an attorney with Faegre Drinker in Denver. However, she said, employers should understand that the definition of “safety-sensitive” varies by state, and not all states have such exemptions.
