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EMPLOYER PROHIBITIONS

As the employer, DON'T

• Allow an employee who has tested positive to begin or continue to perform covered safety-sensitive functions.
• Get a second opinion on an SAP evaluation (you cannot shop for a SAP that will change the original SAPS findings or determinations).
• Use a DOT forms for a NON - DOT test
• Use a NON-Department (forensic) CCF form for a Department of Transportation (federal) test.
• Supersede the DOT requirements with your company policy
• Send someone for additional tests if they test positive until you are given a written release to do so by the SAP
• Ignore or decline requests for assistance from collection sites
• Give advance notice to a donor of a random selection
• Ask for any form of release for DOT tests
• Use the Department of Transportation as an excuse to do other testing.
• Use The Department of Transportation Result to directly terminate employment (Company Policy) 

The Donors and the Collection

• Donors that leave before a DOT drug test collection or alcohol test is compleated will have refused to test. 
• Employees and applicants should be advised of this both in the company policy and before testing.
• The DOT defines a refusal to be treated as a positive test , donor  is subject  to positive protocol without having provided a specimen. (except retest of specimen)
• At the collection site the donor is required to provide photo identification.  A driver’s license or other official document is acceptable.  If they do not have an acceptable ID, the DER will have to provide identification and a description of the donor, this can be done in person or over the phone. 
• The collector will indicate when the ID is verified by the DER in the comments section on the CCF.
• Reasonable cause drug test donors and for alcohol conformations the donor must be escorted to the collection site.
• A donor will be asked to provide an immediate observed collection if they provide a cold or adulterated specimen.
• NEW- Observed collection process must also be done on all return to duty and follow up tests conducted (currently pending).
• Shy Bladder - after initial attempt to provide - donor is allowed to drink up to 40 ounces of water and waite up to three hours at the collection site if they failed to provide at least 45 mil of urine,  the initial specimen is disgarded. (DER notified of required physical examination)

A Basic Overview

• Controlled substance testing is performed by testing a urine sample donated by the employee at a collection site. 
• After collection, the sample will be split into two separate bottles, secured and both bottles sent to a laboratory which has been certified by the federal DOT to conduct DOT drug testing.
• The laboratory will perform an initial immunoassay test, and if that test is positive, the positive result will be confirmed using a method called gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.
• If a urine sample appears to have been adulterated or is otherwise unsuitable for testing, the collection personnel will forward it to the laboratory for further analysis and will ask the employee to provide a second sample, observed by same-sex observer. 
• Altering a sample or interfering with the testing process will be considered as a (refusal) to test which will be considered the same as testing positive.  
• A medical review officer (MRO) interviews all positive results following required MRO protocol before advising the company DER of the positive test result.
• An employee can request testing of split’ sample within 72 hours of  receiving notification of the initial test result.  If the employee so requests, the split sample will be tested at differant  DOT appaproved laboratory facility. The donor is not required to put request in writting.