Regulatory Updates:

From the U.S. DOT Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance (ODAPC)

Reminders:

Verify random testing has been accomplished at the minimum level required for your appropriate DOT transportation mode.

Complete all random testing by December 31, 2006; DOT Management Information Systems Statistical Reports cover the period from January 1 to December 31 of each year.

Federal Transit Administration (FTA):

The FTA published a Final Rule, effective January 2, 2007, that codifies existing FTA administrative guidance for safety-sensitive employees of ferryboat operations who are subject to the drug and alcohol testing regulations of both the FTA and the United States Coast Guard (USCG).

This rule provides regulatory relief to ferryboat operators who were previously subject to duplicative drug and alcohol testing regulations. This rule does not adopt the proposed rule with respect to certain motor carrier operators who are subject to the drug and alcohol testing regulations of both the FTA and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). The FTA will retain its current guidance and interpretation with respect to these motor carrier operators.

This rule permits ferryboat operators to primarily follow the testing requirements of the USCG, and thereby concurrently comply with FTA testing requirements. It does not impose additional requirements on Medical Review Officers (MROs). The only testing exception this rule imposes is that ferryboat operators will remain subject to the FTA random alcohol testing because the USCG does not have a similar requirement.

The FTA post-accident requirements in 49 CFR Part 655.44 will continue to apply when an accident, as defined in 49 CFR Part 655.4, occurs in the performance of public transportation activities.

Did You Know?

1. Individuals who are current illicit drug users are more than twice as likely (9.3 percent) than those who are not (4.3 percent) to have changed employers three or more times in the past year. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
2. Individuals who are current illicit drug users are more likely (12.9 percent) than those who are not (5 percent) to have skipped one or more work days in the past month. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
3. Individuals who are current heavy alcohol users are more likely (8 percent) than those who are not (4.4 percent) to have changed employers three or more times in the past year. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
4. Individuals who are current heavy alcohol users are more likely (11.3 percent) than those who are not (5.1 percent) to have skipped one or more days in the past month. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
5. Results from a U.S. Postal Service study revealed that employees who tested positive in a pre-employment drug test are 66 percent more likely to be absent and 77 percent more likely to be discharged within three years than those who tested negative. Journal of Applied Psychology, “An Evaluation of Pre-Employment Drug Testing”
6. Of callers to the National Cocaine Helpline, 75 percent admit to having used drugs on the job, 64 percent report that drugs have adversely affected their job performance, 44 percent say they have sold drugs to fellow employees and 18 percent say they have stolen from coworkers to support their drug habit. National Cocaine Helpline

Facts About: Amphetamine

Amphetamine, dextroamphetamine and methamphetamine, are collectively referred to as amphetamines. Their chemical properties and actions are so similar that even experienced users have difficulty knowing which drug they have taken.

Focus On:

The DAC News Service seeks to inform by providing information on topics of broad interest and concern to employers. Therefore, from time-to-time, we will select subjects we believe to be relevant and informative to the workplace environment. This month the topic continues from a U.S. Department of Labor publication that discusses addiction. Following is part two of a two-part article.

Addiction

Addiction is a chronic, progressive, relapsing disorder characterized by compulsive use of one or more substances that results in physical, psychological, or social harm to the individual and continued use of the substance or substances despite this harm. Addiction has two possible components: physical dependence and psychological dependence.

Physical dependence: A state of becoming physically adapted to alcohol or other drugs. There are two important aspects to physical dependence:

Tolerance - The need to increase doses to achieve the same effects.

Withdrawal - The appearance of physical symptoms (e.g., nausea, chills and vomiting) when someone stops taking a drug too quickly.

Psychological dependence: A subjective sense of need for alcohol or other drugs, either for its positive effects or to avoid negative effects associated with no use.

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