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What Employers Need To Know About DOT Drug and Alcohol Testing

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has demonstrated successful compliance with the initial assessment <strong>and</strong> evaluation recommendations. For this<br />

review, the SAP must have conferred with the education <strong>and</strong> treatment program <strong>and</strong> should have any reports<br />

<strong>and</strong> materials they provided for review.<br />

You should receive from the SAP an initial<br />

evaluation letter outlining the treatment <strong>and</strong><br />

education recommendations. Your second<br />

letter from the SAP should include the SAP’s<br />

clinical characterization of the employee’s<br />

level of participation in treatment <strong>and</strong><br />

education <strong>and</strong> a statement about whether or<br />

not the employee demonstrated successful<br />

compliance with the program. If the<br />

employee successfully complied with the<br />

SAP’s recommendations, this letter should<br />

also contain any plans for aftercare treatment<br />

<strong>and</strong> a follow-up testing plan.<br />

You can find the <strong>DOT</strong>’s SAP Guidelines at:<br />

http://www.dot.gov/ost/dapc/testingpubs/SAP Guide Aug09.doc.<br />

Can I confer with a SAP about the employee’s testing without having the<br />

employee’s permission?<br />

Yes you can! The <strong>DOT</strong> authorizes you <strong>and</strong> the SAP to confer about the employee’s <strong>DOT</strong> testing– no<br />

employee permission needed. This also includes the SAP getting information from you even if you fired the<br />

employee. The information the SAP obtains from the employer may help determine the best course of<br />

treatment or education, or both for the employee.<br />

Do I need to verify an employee’s prior drug <strong>and</strong> alcohol testing history?<br />

Yes! Before you hire or transfer someone into a safety-sensitive position, you must check the person’s <strong>DOT</strong><br />

drug <strong>and</strong> alcohol testing history. You need to check with any <strong>DOT</strong>-regulated company that employed the<br />

person during the past two years – unless you are regulated by FMCSA, FAA, or FRA. FMCSA requires a<br />

three-year records check for drivers; FAA requires a five-year records check for pilots; <strong>and</strong> FRA requires a<br />

five-year records check for locomotive engineers.<br />

You must get the person’s written consent to seek the information from other employers. The person must list<br />

all previous <strong>and</strong> current employers within the last two, three, or five years, as appropriate. If the person<br />

doesn’t do so, or refuses to sign the consent form, you cannot allow the person to perform safety-sensitive<br />

functions.<br />

Keep in mind that the consent must be a specific release authorizing the new employer to receive testing<br />

information from a specific former or current employer about a specific employee. It cannot be a ―blanket‖<br />

release: For example, it cannot have multiple employers on one release form; it must be employee-specific; it<br />

must be employer-specific; <strong>and</strong> it must be time-period specific.<br />

<strong>What</strong> <strong>Employers</strong> <strong>Need</strong> to <strong>Know</strong> <strong>About</strong> <strong>DOT</strong> <strong>Drug</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Alcohol</strong> <strong>Testing</strong> – October 1, 2010<br />

24<br />

1. The SAP will provide you with reports<br />

about the initial evaluation <strong>and</strong> the<br />

follow-up evaluation.<br />

2. The follow-up evaluation report will<br />

contain the SAP’s plan for follow-up<br />

testing.

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