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

spouse, relative) or a close personal friend.
The guidelines go on to suggest that to avoid
any potential appearance of collusion or
impropriety, a safety-sensitive employee
subject to the DOT drug testing rules should
not be a collector, an observer, or a monitor
for co-workers who are in the same testing
pool or who work together with that
employee on a daily basis.
Each collector must maintain
documentation of their initial qualifications
training, proficiency demonstration,
refresher training, and error-correction
training and provide this documentation
upon request to DOT agency representatives
(i.e., auditors, triennial reviewers), and to
employers and/or C/TPAs using their
services.
The collection site personnel are
responsible for maintaining the integrity of
the specimen collection and transfer process,
ensuring the security of the specimen, and
ensuring the dignity and privacy of the
donor. Collectors should conduct their
duties with professionalism and avoid any
remarks that may be construed as accusatory
or otherwise offensive or inappropriate.
To deter donors from tampering with
their specimens, the specimen collector must
perform the following tasks prior to each
and every collection:
1. Secure water sources by turning
off water or taping handles to
prevent opening faucets.
2. Put bluing agent in the toilet
bowl and swish to ensure
dispersion throughout the bowl.
3. Remove all soap, disinfectants,
cleaning agents, or other possible
adulterants.
4. Inspect the site to ensure that no
foreign or unauthorized
substances are present.
5. Secure toilet tank top or put
bluing agent in the tank water.
6. Ensure that undetected access is
not possible.
7. Secure areas and items that can
be used to conceal contaminants
(i.e., vanities, trashcans, paper
towel holders).
8. Recheck each collection facility
following each collection.
Collectors may only conduct one test at
a time (unless the donor is in an extended
wait time associated with the insufficient
volume procedure described later in this
chapter). The collector must, to the greatest
extent possible, keep the donor’s specimen
within full view of the donor and the
collector until the specimen is sealed. Only
the collector and the donor are allowed to
handle the specimen before it is sealed. The
collector must remain at the collection site
and be in personal control of the specimen
throughout the collection process.
As the employer, you are ultimately
responsible for the collection process and as
such you should monitor collection sites
closely and require documentation that
collectors have met the minimum
requirements. Contracting for this service
removes your staff from direct involvement
in the collection and testing process and
turns these functions over to impartial,
outside technical persons who have no direct
relationship with your employees.
Contracting for collection services, however,
does not relieve you from responsibility for
ensuring that the complete collection
process meets all applicable regulatory
requirements established by FTA and DOT
(§40.15(c)).
Chapter 7. Drug Testing Procedures 7-5 August 2002