In-Clinic COVID-19 Vaccinations

MOH can still access both Johnson & Johnson (1 dose) or Moderna (2 dose) vaccines and will make them available to employers willing to send workers in to an MOH clinic within the following parameters.

Johnson & Johnson

  • We will need groups of 5 employees to be scheduled in one of the four MOH clinics, all within a 2- hour window.
  • After the single vaccination, employee will receive their vaccination card.
  • The employers will be billed a $40 vaccine administration fee per dose.
  • Please remember that TB Test results can be affected by the vaccine so no TB tests will be performed until four weeks after the last dose.

Moderna:

  • We will need groups of 10 employees to be scheduled in one of the four MOH clinics, all within a 2- hour window.
  • All employees need to be available for the 2nd shot 28 days later. No exceptions.
  • The vaccine card will be given after the 2nd injection.
  • Employers will be billed $40 vaccine administration fee per dose.
  • Please remember that TB Test results can be affected by the vaccine so no TB tests will be performed until four weeks after the last dose.

To inquire about scheduling, please email Bob Weeks bweeks@mohonline.com with:

Your name, phone, email, number of people and vaccine preference and the MOH clinic where you would like to send your employees.

COVID-19 Mask Wearing Policy

MOH will continue to require staff and patients to wear masks in accordance with CDC guidelines for healthcare facilities. We understand that a percentage of the patients within our clinics are a) immune compromised; b) not vaccinated c) potentially infected but without symptoms and/or we will continue to do everything we can to minimize the spread of COVID-19 and all of the other airborne viruses that so many of us dodged this past year. MOH asks for your support in communicating this message to candidates and your employees. They need to bring and properly wear a mask or to postpone their visit if they are sick in any way. Thank you for your partnership.

Comparing a Fitness for Duty Exam with a DOT Exam

From time to time, MOH receives employer requests for a workers’ DOT exam in order to determine if that worker is cleared to return to their job after some absence. While a DOT exam can determine a drivers overall medical “fitness” for operating a motor vehicle, it is entirely separate from and much more limited than a Fitness for Duty (FFD) Exam. The two exams share much more or less information with an employer, posing potential legal liability to the employer.

A FFD is a focused medical examination in response to a specific condition which has affected someone’s ability to safely perform their job. FFD’s may involve psychological evaluations, job-specific functional testing and/or a thorough review of a workers’ medical history and treatment(s) for a specific condition. Results shared with an employer will only document if that worker is medically fit to perform their job relative to the condition. For example, if someone is returning to work from a recent surgery on their left knee, the FFD report will determine that person’s fitness for duty relative to their left knee’s surgery and recovery.

It is imperative that when performing a FFD exam, the demands of the job and the worker’s medical condition to be evaluated are clearly defined. To minimize the risk of future litigation against an employer and to answer the FFD question appropriately, a FFD should never become a “fishing expedition” to find something that can be used against a worker, as might happen if an employer is using a DOT exam in this way.

When MOH’s amazing scheduling team fields these inquiries, please be patient with their questions as they seek to help keep employers legally and operationally safe while maintaining patient privacy.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration: March 2021 Data

https://clearinghouse.fmcsa.dot.gov/Resource/Index/monthly-report-Mar2021

How Minnesota Occupational Health Can Help You

Thousands of workers are injured on the job every year.  That is why there are places such as Minnesota Occupational Health. They can provide many services that will help get employees back to work safely, while working with employers. We pride ourselves on providing the best in customer service, communication, and also clinical expertise.

There is no end to the type of injuries that our services providers treat on a regular basis. These can include strains and sprains, dislocations, bone fractures, chemical exposure, burns, and much more.

We believe in providing injury care to workers in the same way we would to professional athletes. Just like the goal is to get them back on the field, the goal for our injured employee clients is to get them back to work safely, or to help keep them mobile so they can continue working safely. If you are injured, visit one of our walk-in clinics for help.

We believe that injury recovery and returning to work should be done in collaboration between healthcare provider, employer, and employee. We will communicate with all parties involved so that everyone understands the situation and what is appropriate for the worker. This means consulting on return-to-work plans, such as light duty accommodations. We have therapists and specialists who will know what the employer is able to do, and what they should avoid to protect their health.

Our service providers have a wealth of knowledge and experience in treating work-related injuries and the recovery it takes to return to work. Every facility provides X-ray services, and we can provide referrals for MRI and other tests.

Whether you are an employer or an employee, working with Minnesota Occupational Health means you will be provided with complete information every step of the way. We will work with everyone involved so that an injured worker can return to work safely and productively.

Start Registering With the FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse in Fall 2019

FMCSA is implementing a new Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse to try to keep the country’s road safer by keeping CDL drivers with dangerous driving histories off the road. Beginning in January of 2020, anyone who employs CDL drivers and the drivers themselves will be required to use the clearinghouse.

Currently, if a CDL holder fails a drug or alcohol test, or refuses one, they can simply move to another state and drive there. This means that these drivers who have already proven to be a risk can simply continue driving without further repercussions. The clearinghouse will be a central database that will track information across states, making it harder for these drivers to find new work. The information will be in real-time, so that any drivers who commit these violations will not be able to get back behind the wheel until they have completed all the required steps to return to work safely.

Timeline
Starting in the fall of 2019, employers can register with the clearinghouse and create accounts to access it. Then when the website launches in January 2020, use of the clearinghouse will be mandatory. They will use it to report information about driver drug and alcohol violations, and they will also be able to query that information. During the first 3 years of the website’s implementation, employers can request testing history from previous employers, but after January of 2023, all of that information will be directly available in the clearinghouse.

How Does it Affect?
This clearinghouse will include information for anyone who drives CMVs on public roads, including transports, bus drivers, equipment operators, limousine drivers, and anyone else who is subject to FMCSA drug and alcohol testing. Employers will be required to both provide information to the clearinghouse, and to query it for any possibly new hires.