If you are not currently conducting substance abuse testing through USIS, and you would like more information on these services, please call (866) 205-6129.

REGULATORY UPDATES:

From the U.S. DOT Office of Drug & Alcohol Policy & Compliance

CCF Errors May Lead to Violations for Employers

The Problem: Consortium/Third Party Administrators (C/TPAs) who use their own identifying information on chain-of-custody (CCFs) forms are not always filling out the employer-specific information in Step 1, Section A as required in 40.45 (c)(2). This opens employers up to non-compliance violations.

The Fix: Always make sure the form contains the employer’s vitals: name, telephone number and fax number.

The Problem: Employers and C/TPAs changing laboratories and MROs sometimes use old CCFs with the wrong information. Urine specimens are being sent to the wrong laboratories, and laboratory results are being sent to the wrong MROs.

The Fix: Immediately update those changes to prevent testing and reporting delays and cancelled drug test results.

Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration (PHMSA) to Collect MIS Data on Contractors
In the Federal Register (FR 20800-20801) on April 21, 2005, PHMSA published a Notice of Intent to Issue an Advisory Bulletin to begin collecting drug and alcohol test data for contract employees performing covered functions in the pipeline industry. PHMSA also seeks comments on its proposed method to collect the data.

For more information, download the complete document (56k pdf).

FMCSA Website Now Powered by Google
In April 2005, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) unveiled an updated Internet presence. Their new user-friendly site is quicker and better organized with one-click interface.

To view their new site, visit: www.fmcsa.dot.gov.

Increased Chances of Rehabilitation with Depression Screens
Did you know that six out of 10 people suffering from substance abuse problems also suffer from mental conditions such as depression? (The Dual Challenge of Substance Abuse and Mental Disorders, NIDA Director Nora D. Volkow, M.D., NIDA Notes, Vol. 18, No. 5.)

Research has long documented that people suffering from depression try to self-medicate themselves through alcohol and other drugs. Despite repeated visits to counselors and clinics, many of these individuals fail to recover because their underlying medical condition is never diagnosed.

For Substance Abuse Professionals (SAPs), depression screens are an essential assessment tool to determine the correct course of treatment. After all, more than half of all substances abusers are suffering from depression, and appropriate screenings and follow-up treatment provides SAPs with the needed tools to increase an employees chances of rehabilitation and safely return to duty.

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DID YOU KNOW?

No business, regardless of size or location, is immune to the countless problems that alcohol and drug abuse can cause. Most individuals who abuse alcohol and other drugs are employed, and when they arrive for work, they do not leave their problems outside the door.

Although the rate of current illicit drug use is higher among unemployed individuals, the vast majority of current illicit drug users in the U.S. are employed. Of 12.3 million adult current illicit drug users, 9.4 million (77 percent) work.

An estimated 6.5 percent of full-time and 8.6 percent of part-time workers are current illicit drug users.

Alcohol is the most widely abused drug among working adults. An estimated 6.2 percent of adults working full time are heavy drinkers.

More than one in three (38 percent) of workers between the ages of 18 and 25 are binge drinkers.

(Source: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Household Survey on Drug Abuse.)

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Did You Ever Wonder Why There is Drug Testing in the Transportation Industry?

Congress passed the Omnibus Transportation Employee Testing Act of 1991 that gives the Department of Transportation a mandate to implement the testing. But why? Regrettably, alcohol and drugs are a factor in a significant percentage of transportation-related accidents each year. This alarming reality has serious consequences for employers and employees within the industry as well as members of the general public who rely on transportation systems.

A federal government survey revealed that rates of substance abuse among four different types of personnel within the transportation industry are as follows:

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FOCUS ON:
The DAC News Service seeks to educate by providing information on topics of broad interest and concern to employers. Therefore, every so often, we will select subjects we believe to be relevant and informative to the workplace environment. This month’s topic is “Club Drugs.”

CLUB DRUGS
OVERVIEW & BACKGROUND
Club Drugs are those often associated with teens and young adults who are part of a nightclub, bar, rave or trance scene. Raves and trance events are generally night-long dances, often held in warehouses. Those individuals attending raves who choose to use drugs are often attracted to their generally low cost and to the intoxicating highs that are said to deepen the rave or trance experience.

View the complete article.

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View the 2005 Schedule for Commercial Services.

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Published by USIS
Copyright © 2005 USIS. All rights reserved.

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