to ensure a substance free work environment.
Drug Testing Reasons and Responsibilities
The following section details the various reasons an employee would be required to test for drugs. These are the requirement for federally mandated consortiums; however, non-regulated companies can use them as a guide to help develop a random program that works for you.
Pre-Employment
Federal regulations require that all employees performing safety-sensitive
functions be tested for drugs prior to employment. Your designated representative
must receive the results of this test prior to the employee performing
a safety sensitive duty.
Random
Employees are randomly tested according to the rates defined by the federal
agency that governs each consortium, for example the FAA or Federal Motor
Carrier's Association. Random selections are generated by a computer program
and occur quarterly. These tests should be unannounced.
Post-Accident
If an employee's performance contributed to an accident, or cannot be completely
discounted as a contributing facto, the employee may be subject to a test
for alcohol and drugs. Each governing agency has specific rules regarding
post-accident testing. It is solely up to the employer to decide, based
on these rules, whether testing is necessary. Alcohol testing must be performed
within two hours of an accident, or a record should be kept stating why
said test did no occur.
Reasonable Cause
Employees who perform safety sensitive functions are subject to a drug or
alcohol test if there is reasonable suspicion that they are using a prohibited
drug or alcohol. At least two supervisors, on of whom has been trained
in the signs and symptoms of substance abuse, must concur that the test
is warranted. Tongass Substance Screening can provide you with a guide
to making this determination, however the final decision is as always the
responsibility of the employer.
Return to Duty
Following a positive drug test (or a refusal to test), employees are prohibited
from performing safety sensitive functions until they have satisfied the
DOT requirements for returning to duty. The employee then undergoes a return
to duty drug and alcohol test.
Follow-Up
Once an employee has tested positive, employers are required by law to enact
follow-up testing of that employee. Again, the governing agencies dictate
how many tests are required. Follow-up tests are unannounced and the employee
should be notified while he or she is performing safety sensitive functions
or immediately upon their completion.
