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Occupational Health and Safety in the Cannabis Industry



Details

  • Personal Author:
    Simpson C
  • Description:
    In this special issue of the Annals of Work Exposures and Health, we present a diverse collection of papers that examine a variety of occupational exposures and health concerns related to workers in the cannabis and hemp industries. Some of the potential hazardous exposures identified in these industries include particulate matter, organic dusts, bioaerosols, pollen/allergens, volatile organic compounds, pesticides, and ergonomic hazards. Increased injury rates, and dermal and respiratory health effects were reported amongst cannabis workers-although the apparent high prevalence of cannabis use amongst some sectors of the cannabis workforce may make it difficult to disentangle the role of occupational versus recreational exposures in respiratory health outcomes. In addition to these 'traditional' hazards, workers described health concerns that were a result of social, economic, and political forces facing the transitioning cannabis industry and resulting from an inconsistency between state and federal law. The increased use of cannabis in the workplace and in public spaces may present additional hazards for workers in non-cannabis industries. The article by Weigand et al. in this issue outlines potential concerns regarding workers exposure to second hand cannabis smoke. The potential for workers to be impaired due to medical or recreational use of cannabis is also a health and safety concern, however there is currently no adequate test for cannabis impairment, and testing of urine for psychologically inactive cannabinoid metabolites as has heretofore been common practice (Kulig, 2017) may no longer be acceptable. In some jurisdictions employers are not permitted to prohibit marijuana use by their employees outside of work hours, nor to deny employment due to the presence of marijuana in a screening test (State of Nevada, 2020). The papers included in this special issue highlight the breadth of potentially hazardous exposures that may be present in cannabis and hemp production, and provide evidence for a variety of occupational health impacts associated with these exposures. As these industries continue to rapidly expand, there is a clear and present need to (i) evaluate these exposures and their associations with health outcomes, (ii) where appropriate, to develop and implement controls to manage those exposures, and (iii) to provide health and safety training tailored specifically to these industries, in order to ensure a safe and healthy work environment. [Description provided by NIOSH]
  • Subjects:
  • Keywords:
  • ISSN:
    2398-7308
  • Document Type:
    Text
  • Funding:
  • Genre:
    Journal Article
  • Place as Subject:
  • CIO:
    National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
  • Topic:
    Workplace Safety & Health
  • Location:
    North America
  • Volume:
    64
  • Issue:
    7
  • NIOSHTIC Number:
    nn:20062622
  • Citation:
    Ann Work Expo Health 2020 Aug; 64(7):677-678
  • Contact Point Address:
    Christopher Simpson, University of Washington, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
  • Email:
    simpson1@u.washington.edu
  • CAS Registry Number:
    Cannabis (CAS RN 8063-14-7)
  • Federal Fiscal Year:
    2020
  • NORA Priority Area:
    Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
  • Performing Organization:
    University of Washington
  • Peer Reviewed:
    False
  • Start Date:
    20050701
  • Source Full Name:
    Annals of Work Exposures and Health
  • End Date:
    20250630
  • Collection(s):
  • Main Document Checksum:
    urn:sha-512:2f906bd5267dafc608d6d4aceba125c73a94f979f0ce2a73f5c5d167de1abf80ac4c3ae7d6c5545bca2436cf207822cbabf4bf766cc2db56c04c813c2692467e
  • Download URL:
  • File Type:
    Filetype[PDF - 142.80 KB ]
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