If your company is affiliated with the Department of Transportation (DOT), you're likely familiar with the strict rules, guidelines, and regulations it must adhere to. This is particularly true for positions that involve safety. But what exactly is a safety-sensitive job? What are some instances of these roles, and how does the process of drug and alcohol testing apply to these employees? Let's explore further!
What’s a Safety-Sensitive Position?
Simply put, a position that is considered safety-sensitive indicates that there could be an increased chance of danger associated with that job. An employee in a safety-sensitive role is not just accountable for their own well-being but also for the safety of their colleagues and even the wider community in specific situations or roles. A mishap could lead to severe physical harm, fatalities, or significant harm to property or the environment as a whole.
What are Some Examples of Safety-Sensitive Positions?
Pilots, commercial truck drivers, and railroad operators are all examples of safety-sensitive roles. Think of it like this: If you are a pilot or a railroad operator, you’re responsible for the safety of every single person onboard. For all three types of professionals, there are other travelers to be aware of (other planes in the sky and other trucks on the road).
If one of these professionals gets behind the wheel (or in the cockpit) and isn’t in the condition to responsibly operate their machine, then they risk many lives and also property.
This is why the Department of Transportation’s (DOT’s) drug and alcohol testing guidelines are so strict for workers in safety-sensitive positions. Let’s talk about that next.
How Does the DOT Drug Test Safety-Sensitive Professionals?
Safety-sensitive employees are subject to drug and alcohol testing under a number of circumstances:
- Pre-employment
- Reasonable suspicion
- At random
- Return-to-duty
- Follow-up
- Post-accidents
The required DOT 5-panel urine drug test screens for some of the most commonly abused substances, including:
- Cocaine
- Marijuana (THC and cannabinoids)
- Phencyclidine (PCP)
- Amphetamines (including methamphetamines/crystal meth)
- Opioids
If it seems like the DOT’s approach to drug testing is robust, that’s because it is! The decision came after several devastating transportation accidents, after which Congress passed the Omnibus Transportation Employee Testing Act of 1991. This applied to any DOT agencies that employ professionals in aviation, trucking (including school bus drivers and even some limousine and van drivers), railroad, mass transit, and pipeline industries. Later on, in 1994, the DOT added alcohol testing to its requirements, which can be analyzed via breath or saliva samples.
What Does This Mean for Prescription Medication?
With the DOT having to become more strict in its approach to maintaining drug-free workplaces, this might understandably cause some concern regarding prescription medications and even over-the-counter drugs.
Both of these are allowed as long as:
- The employee indeed has the appropriate prescription from a licensed physician.
- The physician has verified that the prescription won’t interfere with the safe performance of the employee’s job.
- The drug is used only as directed.
- In the case of the employee being under the guidance of multiple physicians, at least one of them is aware of all of the prescribed medications the employee is taking.
- The employee isn’t violating any agency regulations.
While the Department of Transportation’s expectations for maintaining a drug- and alcohol-free workplace might feel overwhelming — especially in the age of cannabis — thankfully, business and agency owners don’t have to do it alone.
How US Drug Test Centers Keeps DOT Businesses Substance-Free
Keeping your workplace safe and substance-free requires a multi-faceted approach. Here’s how US Drug Test Centers can help!
- DOT drug-free workplace policy manual: We’ll help you create a policy that’s airtight so that you, your employees, and your business entity are protected and in compliance with the DOT’s regulations. This policy outlines details like the circumstances under which employees are drug tested, what happens if they refuse a test, how employees are randomly selected, and what happens if the test results come back positive.
- Online training: Our training is designed for individual employees. It covers topics like an introduction to drug testing, how to approach reasonable suspicion drug testing, and even how to collect a urine specimen. There’s also training for your designated employer representative (DER), specifically.
- Drug testing: Easily order your DOT 5-panel urine drug test in just a few clicks. We only partner with SAMHSA-certified labs, and all of our test results are verified by a medical review officer (MRO) to ensure accuracy. We provide testing at more than 20,000 collection sites across the US, meaning drug testing is fast and convenient.
- Join a consortium: This is available for both companies and owner-operators. A consortium (also called a third-party administrator) is a random drug testing pool that includes multiple companies. All employees are enrolled and eligible for random selection(s) - drug, alcohol, or both. Enrollment in a consortium is required for DOT owner-operators considering they are not permitted to manage their own random drug testing.
Ensuring that your workplace remains free of drugs and alcohol is vital for so many reasons. First and foremost, it helps maintain the safety and well-being of your staff and of the people you work with and serve. It’s also important for focus, productivity, and the quality of the work you do. Finally, it plays a role in employee morale and individuals’ motivation to show up and do a wonderful job every day.
The laws around workplace drug testing evolve over time. Thankfully, you don’t have to stay on top of the DOT’s changing regulations by yourself! US Drug Test Centers will help you manage your entire drug testing program and ensure that you’re always compliant with the DOT. Learn more about our DOT testing and services, or contact us today with any questions.