Operator Drug- and Alcohol-Testing Across Modes (2012) / Chapter Skim
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Pages 7-14
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From page 7... ...
For drugs, when the minimum annual percentage rate for random drug testing is 50%, the administrator may lower this rate to 25% of all covered employees if the administrator determines that the data for the two preceding consecutive calendar years indicate that the reported positive rate is less than 1.0%. When the minimum annual percentage rate for random drug testing is 25%, and the data for the calendar year indicate that the reported positive rate is equal to or greater than 1.0%, the administrator will increase the minimum annual percentage rate for random drug or random alcohol testing to 50% of all covered employees.
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From page 8... ...
In some cases, direct observation of the specimen collection is required. At the laboratory, specimen validity testing is conducted to determine whether the specimen is consistent with normal human urine.
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From page 9... ...
With the exception of eye drops, however, all adulterants could be detected because they shifted urine characteristics outside of normal human range. Salt produced specific gravity values greater than 1.035; drain cleaner, bleach, and vinegar shifted pH values; golden seal caused a dark appearance in the urine; and hand soap produced cloudiness in the specimen.
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From page 10... ...
In the DOT drug-testing program, measures are in place to determine whether a specimen is urine, whether the urine presents normal characteristics, or whether it has been adulterated. Normal Urine Characteristics In healthy humans, urine has specific physical characteristics: temperature, color, clarity, odor, and foaming properties.
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From page 11... ...
; or • The presence of any other nonspecified adulterant is verified using an initial test on the first aliquot and a different confirmatory test on the second aliquot. A specimen is invalid when • Creatinine concentration and specific gravity are inconsistent with normal human urine; • pH is equal to or greater than 3 and less than 4.5; • pH is equal to or greater than 9 and less than 11; • The nitrite concentration is equal to or greater than 200 mcg/ml but less than 500 mcg/dl; • There is general oxidant activity that cannot be accounted for by identifying a specific agent; or • A urine specimen does not meet the criteria for dilute, substitute, or adulterated but clearly is not normal.
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From page 12... ...
Table 1 reports the annual nonnegative rates by validity testing category for the federally mandated, safety-sensitive workforce from one large-scale laboratory (Quest Diagnostics, September 2010)
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From page 13... ...
. TABLE 3 FAILURE RATES FOR SELECTED DOT PROTOCOLS TESTED BY GAO Selected DOT Urine Specimen Collection Protocol Percentage of the 24 Collection Sites That Failed Secure the facility from all substances that could be used to adulterate or dilute the specimen 75 Secure all sources of water in the restroom 67 Ask the employee to empty his/her pockets and display items to ensure that no items are present that could be used to adulterate the specimen 42 Check the temperature of the specimen 19 Place a bluing agent in the toilet or secure it with tape 17 Although the GAO investigation is now 3 years old, and new procedures have been implemented since then to TABLE 4 CURRENT CUTOFF CONCENTRATIONS FOR INITIAL AND CONFIRMATION TESTS Initial Test Analyte Initial Test Cutoff Concentration (ng/ml)
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From page 14... ...
As for the drug tests, a dual-test procedure is used to determine whether an employee has prohibited alcohol concentrations in the system. The initial test can use either saliva or breath.
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