Implementation Guidelines - Federal Transit Administration - U.S. ...

iases in the process. To be considered
scientifically valid, each covered employee
must have an equal chance of being picked
each time selections are made.
Testing Rates
The number of random drug tests to be
conducted each year must equal at least 50
percent of the total number of safetysensitive
employees subject to drug testing,
included in the testing pool. A slightly
higher percentage (+5%) should be tested to
provide for cancelled tests. The number of
random alcohol tests conducted each year
must equal at least 10 percent of the covered
employees included in the pool. If the
transit system joins a consortium for
random-number selection, the annual rate
may be calculated for each individual
consortium organizational member or for the
total number of safety-sensitive employees
within the consortium (see Chapter 11,
“Consortia and Third Party
Administrators”).
The FTA’s random alcohol and drug
testing rates may be adjusted based on
analysis of positive drug and alcohol
violations rates for the entire transit industry
(§655.45(d)) as reported in the annual
industry-wide Management Information
System report. If the transit industry as a
whole generates a random positive drug test
result of less than 1 percent for two
consecutive calendar years, FTA may reduce
the drug testing rate to 25 percent. FTA
may not lower the drug testing rate below 25
percent. If, subsequently, the random
positive drug test rate ever exceeds 1 percent
during any single calendar year, the drug test
rate will be increased back up to the 50
percent level. A summary of the rates is
presented in the following chart.
Even though the alcohol testing rate was
originally established at 25 percent, the
alcohol testing rate was lowered to 10
percent in 1998 based on industry-wide
violation rates below 0.5 percent for the two
consecutive preceding years. The alcohol
testing rate will be increased back to 25
percent if the violation rate is greater than
0.5 percent but less than 1 percent for any
single year. The alcohol rate can increase to
50 percent if the violation rate exceeds 1
percent in any given year. The alcohol
violation rate is calculated each year by
adding the number of positive random tests
to the number of refusals of random tests
and dividing the sum by the total number of
random tests attempted (completed plus
refused).
Industrywide
Positive
Random
Test Results
Less than
0.5%
Greater than
0.5 % but
less than 1%
Greater than
1%
Alcohol
Random
Testing
Rate
Drug
Random
Testing
Rate
10% 25%
25% 25%
50% 50%
Note: To reduce the testing rate the industry-wide positive rates
must be at the designated level for 2 consecutive years, while the
rate will increase if the positive test rate raises one level during any
single year.
The minimum annual percentage rates
will be published in the Federal Register
each year for the following calendar year
and noted in the FTA Drug and Alcohol
Regulation Updates. The rates will be
applicable for the calendar year beginning
on January 1 of the calendar year following
publication of the random testing rates. The
rates are considered minimums. Employers
who choose to test at higher rates may do so
Chapter 6. Types of Testing 6-13 August 2002