"Here in the United States of America, we have no meaningful program of drug testing  for commercial truck drivers, none."

- Peter A. DeFazio
Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Highways & Transit
2007



Most corporations currently model their private sector drug testing programs after the "Federal Mandated Drug Testing Program, and like the federal program, many corporations are now at risk of not having a drug free workplace.

Up to one third of the military abused drugs from Vietnam through the early 1980s. The catalyst for a Federal Mandated Drug Testing Program came in 1981 with a catastrophic explosion on the aircraft carrier USSN Nimitz, where an investigation revealed that a number of sailors and airmen were abusing drugs.

In 1986 all Federal Executive Branch government employees were included in mandated drug screening programs. By 1994 drug screening had been extended to specified "safety sensitive occupational groups within sectors regulated by the Federal government (nuclear energy, oil & gas pipelines, aviation, railroad, maritime, mass transportation, and trucking).

It is now estimated that 50-75% of medium to large US companies have some form of limited or comprehensive employee drug testing programs. Limited in this instance defined as testing were required by the Federal Government or pre-employment testing only, and comprehensive testing defined as all modes of testing including the most effective mode - random testing.


Issues with DOT / SAMHSA Drug Testing

Federal mandated drug testing specifically requires a urine laboratory-based process, and screens for five drug classes - Marijuana (marijuana metabolite), Opiates (Heroin, Morphine, and Codeine), Cocaine (BE-cocaine metabolite), Amphetamines / Methamphetamines, and PCP.

Initially this process was deemed successful. It required random testing, noted by substance abuse professionals as the most effective mode of deterrence and detection, an drove a precipitous drop in "Positive rates from 15%+ to less than 5%.

Circumstances have now, however, dramatically changed.

At the very least the value of urine-based drug testing as a deterrent and method of accurately detecting substance abuse is being questioned. At worst, urine-based testing is now relatively ineffective. Diminished "Positive rates in the workplace are now being attributed more to the ability of drug abuses "beating the test, and the inability to detect many commonly abused prescription drugs, especially pain relievers, than lower rates of substance abuse.

The current issues with urine-based testing is so significant that both the GAO and leaders of various House Committees have acknowledged that the Federal Mandated drug testing program is broken. The primary reasons " DOT  or " SAMHSA urine-based drug testing protocols are known to be questionable are listed below.

1. Urine can be easily substituted or adulterated

2. " DOT / SAMHSA standards  do not include many prescription drugs commonly abused today, most notably the epidemic abuse of prescription pain relievers (Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, etc.)

3. Urine required employees / applicants to travel to a remote location to donate specimen. This is both costly, and a contributing factor to enabling abusers to " beat the test. Also, because urine collection is invasive and distasteful, the least skilled and lowest paid individuals are hired as specimen collectors, by urine testing laboratories and large TPAs (Third Party Administrators) contracted to manage many corporate drug testing programs. Thus, procedures are not followed, and corruption has been widely reported. Overall, this is a costly and largely unmanageable process.

4. Urine-based drug testing can only detect past drug use, and has no correlation to current, on-the-job abuse. For example, there is no correlation between concentrations of drug metabolites found in urine, and the amount of active parent drug in the bloodstream.


Newer Technologies

For any drug testing process to be effective, it must be relatively simple to implement and accurate for its intended purpose, as well as implemented and monitored by skilled professionals.

While Federal Mandated occupational groups are to limited to procedures that are known to be problematic, the vast majority of the private sector is free to utilize newer, more effective technologies to enhance their drug free workplace policies and programs

Oral fluid / saliva and hair based drug screens are two technologies recognized by the scientific community as accurate, beneficial tools to supplement and in many case entirely replace traditional urine testing.

The use of these alternative technologies, especially on-site and laboratory oral fluid based drug screening and testing, is rapidly accelerating, and presently representing a 10% market share.

A drug free workplace policy is a benefit to employers, employees and their families, insurers, and the general public. It is a critical component of any corporation's safety program an as such it should be developed, implemented, and monitored by safety and risk management professionals.

With advent of on-site oral fluid technology for example, properly certified safety personnel can collect a specimen at virtually any workplace location and provide a preliminary result within minutes. A subsequent quantitative laboratory test (GC/MS, or LC/MS/MS) can performed to validate findings as required.

Secure INTERNET information systems are also now available to track the overall process from on-site collection to subsequent analyses and reviews, as well as assure corporate-wide compliance. Minimizing paperwork also mitigates procedural errors.


Next steps

It's important to understand that drug testing, including random drug testing is legal across the United States for safety sensitive positions in the workplace, and even in our schools. The United States Supreme Court has set several precedents in support of drug testing.

It's equally important to gain consensus and buy in from senior management, and all constituencies. You might be very surprised to learn that most senior executives are unaware that 10% or more of their employees are currently abusing drugs (not including alcohol), or that 50% or more of workplace accidents and other costly incidents are linked to workplace substance misuse.

Lastly, random drug testing via observed specimen collection is a critical, requisite component of any workplace safety programs, however, it is not a substitute for a comprehensive safety program, nor should it be implemented without a written, and well communicated drug and alcohol policy inclusive of drug education and employee assistance.