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On May 2, the Department of Transportation (DOT) adopted a rule recognizing oral fluid drug testing as an alternative to urine testing for safety-sensitive positions in all regulated industries, including aviation, motor carrier, rail, and transit. The final rule (88 Fed. Reg. 27596) becomes effective June 1. The final rule harmonizes DOT and Federal Motor […]
Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine drugs and alcohol, and impairment on the road and in the workplace. Drug and alcohol abuse can leave workers and commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers impaired. As more states have decriminalized […]
On December 23, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) denied a request to allow the use of hair testing for determining a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) driver’s drug use (87 Federal Register (FR) 79061). The Alliance for Driver Safety & Security, or “Trucking Alliance,” asked the agency to amend the definition of “actual knowledge” […]
Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine the future of marijuana in the workplace and solutions for dealing with testing. As marijuana is legalized in more places, the question of how to deal with it in the workplace […]
Last year, the rate of positive drug test results among American workers reached its highest rate since 2001, Quest Diagnostics reports. The company’s analysis shows the positivity rate was up more than 30% in the combined U.S. workforce from an all-time low in 2010–2012. Moreover, overall positivity in the federally mandated, safety-sensitive workforce, based on […]
Employers often feel an obligation to implement a drug screening program in the workplace, typically with safety in mind. It is used as a precaution to ensure people who would be a danger to others aren’t hired. Random testing is also used to discourage employees from using drugs after hire.
Motor carriers still must conduct random drug testing of 50% of their drivers. However, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced it may exercise discretion in the enforcement of drug and alcohol testing requirements because the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to cause disruptions within the industry.
On our latest episode of the EHS on Tap podcast, we discussed a persistent problem for occupational health and safety managers—post-accident drug testing. Read on for a transcript of our conversation with Bill Current, President of the Current Consulting Group and a 30-year veteran of the drug testing industry.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) does not require employers to test employees in safety-sensitive positions for cannabidiol (CBD) use, the DOT’s Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance (ODAPC) announced February 18. However, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and other DOT agencies still require employers to test employees for marijuana use.
Employers in the trucking industry are facing heightened requirements for ensuring their drivers’ drug and alcohol compliance: Employers must perform twice as many random drug and alcohol tests of commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers and must query the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse to check the records of current and […]