A comprehensive drug free workplace policy consists of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An employer often has a comprehensive substance abuse policy which is designed to contribute to a workplace free of the health, safety and productivity hazards caused by employees\u2019 abuse of alcohol or drugs. By educating employees about the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse and encouraging individuals with related problems to seek help, the employer can retain valuable employees and help play a part in making communities safer and healthier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A drug free workplace program will provide a written policy which clearly outlines our expectations regarding substance abuse; training for supervisors on the signs and symptoms of drug use and their role in enforcing the policy; education for employees about the dangers of substance abuse; and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to provide counseling and referral to employees struggling with substance abuse problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Employee Education: Effective employee education programs provide company-specific information, such as the details of the drug-free workplace policy, as well as generalized information about the nature of alcohol and drug addiction; its impact on work performance, health and personal life; and types of help available for individuals with related problems. A drug and alcohol education program provides employees with the information they need to fully understand, cooperate with and benefit from their company\u2019s drug-free workplace program. The entire organization should know about the benefits of the drug-free workplace policy and program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Employee education programs are available from the Drug Test Consulting Network<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Supervisor Training: DOT employer are required to have Supervisor Training so supervisors can make reasonable suspicion determinations. The success of the drug-free workplace policy and program depends to a great extent on supervisors. Supervisors are responsible for implementing many of the drug-free workplace policy and program elements. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Supervisor Training programs are available from the Drug Test Consulting Network<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are multiple methods for drug and alcohol testing:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Urine: Results of a urine drug test<\/a><\/strong> show the presence or absence of drug metabolites in a person\u2019s urine.\u00a0 Metabolites are drug residues that remain in the body for some time after the effects of a drug have worn off.\u00a0 A positive urine test does not necessarily mean a person was under the influence of drugs at the time of the test.\u00a0 It detects and measures use of a particular drug within the previous few days. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Breath: A breath-alcohol test<\/a><\/strong> is the most common test for finding out how much alcohol is currently in the blood.\u00a0 The person being tested blows into a breath-alcohol device, and the results are given as a number, known as the Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC), which shows the level of alcohol in the blood at the time the test was taken.\u00a0 BAC levels have been correlated with impairment, and the legal limit of 0.08 for driving has been set in all states.\u00a0 Under DOT regulations, a BAC of 0.02 is high enough to stop someone from performing a safety-sensitive task for a specific amount of time (usually between 8 and 24 hours) and a BAC reading of 0.04 or higher is considered to be a positive drug test and requires immediate removal from safety-sensitive functions.\u00a0 Under DOT regulations<\/a><\/strong>, a person who tests at the 0.04 BAC level may not resume job duties until a specific return-to-duty process has been successfully completed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n