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

extremely remote. In the past, most errors in
test results were the result of human error in
specimen handling, documentation, or
validity testing, all of which have been
reduced in recent years by using detailed test
protocols, scrutiny of testing regimes, and
stringent quality control checks.
All drug testing under the FTA
regulations must be completed in a
laboratory certified by the DHHS under the
National Laboratory Certification Program
(NLCP). These laboratories have been
rigorously inspected and tested and meet the
highest standards for analytical competence.
A list of DHHS-certified laboratories
(current as of the date of publication of these
guidelines) is provided in Appendix D. This
list is updated on a monthly basis and is
printed in the Federal Register the first
week of each month by the Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA). The list should be checked
monthly as new laboratories are added and
others are removed. To verify the
certification status of a laboratory, DHHS
has also established a telephone HELPLINE
at (800) 843-4971. The list is also
maintained on the following Web site:
http://www.workplace.samhsa.gov/Resource
Center/lablist.htm.
All laboratories that conduct drug tests
under the DOT-covered program must
comply with both the DOT requirements set
forth in Subpart F of Part 40, and the DHHS
requirements.
Each transit system should enter into a
contract for primary laboratory services that
specifically states the activities to be
performed and the cost for such services.
Transit systems should also enter into a
contract with at least one additional
laboratory for split sample analysis and to
serve as a backup in case problems arise
with the primary lab. The regulation does
not specify whether the employer or the
employee decides which DHHS-certified lab
is used for the split specimen so it remains a
local decision. However, it helps to identify
the possible labs in advance to make
establishing customer accounts and billing
practices easier, whereas failure to do so in
advance may result in testing delays and
billing mistakes. Prior to finalizing the
contract with the laboratory, the DAPM and
employee representative may want to
personally inspect the laboratory.
Specimen Inspection. The DOT
regulation requires the lab to first inspect
each specimen and the CCF for fatal and
correctable flaws. If no fatal flaw exists, but
correctable flaws are found (see Section 5 of
this chapter), the lab must document the
flaw and take corrective action as defined in
§40.205.
Validity Testing. Specimen validity
testing is the evaluation of the specimen to
determine if it is consistent with normal
human urine or if certain adulterants or
foreign substances were added to the urine,
the urine was diluted, or the specimen was
substituted. At the time these Guidelines
were published, laboratories were permitted
to conduct validity testing as part of the
DOT testing process. As soon as the DHHS
Chapter 7. Drug Testing Procedures 7-14 August 2002