When Are Safety Sensitive Employees Tested?

Safety-sensitive employees are subject to drug or alcohol testing in the following situations: 

• Pre-employment

• Reasonable Suspicion/Cause

• Random

• Post-Accident

• Return-to-duty

• Follow-up

• Post-Accident

Pre-Employment

As a new hire, you are required to submit to a drug test. Employers may, but are not required to, conduct alcohol testing.6 Only after your employer receives a negative drug test result (and negative alcohol test result - if administered) may you begin performing safety-sensitive functions. This also applies if you are a current employee transferring from a non-safety-sensitive function into a safety-sensitive position (even if it is the same employer).

Reasonable Suspicion

You are required to submit to any test (whether drug, alcohol or both) that a supervisor request based on reasonable suspicion. Reasonable suspicion means that one or more trained supervisors reasonably believes or suspects that you are under the influence of drugs or alcohol. They cannot require testing based on a hunch or guess alone; their suspicion must be based on observations concerning your appearance, behavior, speech and smell that are usually associated with drug or alcohol use. 

Random

You are subject to unannounced random drug & alcohol testing. Alcohol testing is administered just prior to, during or just after performing safety-sensitive functions. Depending on the industry specific regulations, you may only be subject to random drug testing.

No manager, supervisor, official or agent may select you for testing just because they want to. Under DOT regulations, employers must use a truly random selection process. Each employee must have an equal chance to be selected and tested.

Just prior to the testing event, you will be notified of your selection and provided enough time to stop performing your safety sensitive function and report to the testing location. Failure to show for a test or interfering with the testing process can be considered a refusal.

Post-Accident

If you are involved in an event (accident, crash, etc.) meeting certain criteria of the DOT agency, a post-accident test will be required. You will then have to take a drug test and an alcohol test.8 You are required to remain available for this testing and are not permitted to refuse testing.

Return to Duty

If you have violated the prohibited drug & alcohol rules, you are required to take a drug and/or alcohol test before returning to safety-sensitive functions for any DOT regulated employer. You are subject to unannounced follow-up testing at least 6 times in the first 12 months following your return to active safety-sensitive service. Return-to-duty tests must be conducted under direct observation.

Follow-Up

The amount of follow-up testing you receive is determined by a Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) and may continue for up to 5 years. This means the SAP will determine how many times you will be tested (at least 6 times in the first year), for how long, and for what substance (i.e. drugs, alcohol, or both). Your employer is responsible for ensuring that follow-up testing is conducted and completed. Follow-up testing is in addition to all other DOT required testing. All follow-up tests will be observed.

For further information, go here.