diff --git a/src/utils/qa_qc_utils.py b/src/utils/qa_qc_utils.py
index 2b836aa..16b4025 100644
--- a/src/utils/qa_qc_utils.py
+++ b/src/utils/qa_qc_utils.py
@@ -878,7 +878,7 @@ def is_valid_json(value: Any) -> bool:
     Returns:
         True if valid JSON or blank
     """
-    if pd.isna(value) or str(value).strip() == "":
+    if string_utils.is_empty(value):
         return True
 
     try: