DOT Drug Screenings Can Reduce Accidents And Costs
How much is employee drug use costing your company? According to a recent OSHA study, 65 percent of accidents on the job are caused by substance abuse, and employees that abuse drugs file six times more workers’ compensation claims. The U.S. Department of Labor reports that drug-using employees utilize health benefits 84 percent more and record 16 times more work absences.
A well-thought-out employee drug testing policy as a component of employee screening can save you several thousand dollars each year. But when should a DOT drug test be given and when is one not required?
Who Can You Test?
Your first step is to determine if your driver falls under Part 382
— Controlled Substances and Alcohol Use and Testing. The applicability for
this portion of the regulations is found in Sec. 382.103.
Don’t Forget About Occasional Drivers
Many times someone who only operates a Commercial Motor Vehicle on an
occasional or temporary basis may slip through the cracks of a random drug
and alcohol testing program, including the required pre-employment drug
screen. This could include an owner-operator operating under your authority,
a seasonal employee or a leased driver. Even if a dispatcher, manager,
mechanic or warehouse worker drives on an occasional basis, he or she could fall under Part 382.
Some Exceptions To Remember
An employer is not required to administer a pre-employment drug test if the
following conditions are met:
- The driver must have participated in a drug testing program meeting the requirements of this rule within the previous 30 days.
- While participating in this program the driver must have either been tested for controlled substances in the previous six months or participated in a random drug testing program for the previous 12 months.
- The employer must also ensure that no prior employer of the driver has a record of violations of any DOT controlled substance use rule for the driver in the previous six months.
To take advantage of these exceptions, the motor carrier must contact the testing program administrator prior to using the driver and obtain the following information: the name and address of the program administrator; verification that the driver participates or participated in the program; verification that the program conforms to the requested procedures set forth in 49 CFR Part 40; verification that the driver qualified under this rule; the date the driver was last tested for alcohol and drugs; and the results of any test administered in the previous six months, and any violations of the alcohol misuse or drug rules.
Make Sure You’re In The Know
It is crucial that you find out who is and who is not supposed to be in your
random drug and alcohol testing program. In addition to participation in
your random selection and the pre-employment drug screen, these individuals
must meet all the other requirements of Parts 40 and 382, and you must
maintain the appropriate records. This includes: Previous Employer Alcohol
and Drug Testing Information (Sec. 382.413); Previous Pre-employment Alcohol
and Drug Testing (Sec. 40.25(j)); and Driver Drug and Alcohol/Company Policy (Sec. 382.601).
Understanding the DOT alcohol and drug regulations will help to prevent possible violations of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations and address potential liability, and safety and security concerns. For more information, go to www.dot.gov.
[Information contained in this article was provided courtesy of J.J. Keller & Associates.]
