Employers – Substance Abuse Professional List or Service Agent? Find Out Now.
The U.S Department of Transportation (DOT) deems some modes of work as safety-sensitive. If an employee is, for example, driving a tractor trailer, operating a ferry or train, an aeronautical technician, or working with a pipeline company, then they may be subject to DOT-mandated drug and/or alcohol testing.
Developing and implementing DOT workplace drug and alcohol programs is a responsibility for employers. These must have “clear policies, provisions for education and training, drug and alcohol testing, and when needed, referral for evaluation and treatment.”
When a safety-sensitive employee fails a drug and/or alcohol test they have to immediately be removed from their safety-sensitive duties. As an employer you are required to either provide them with a substance abuse professional list or a referral to a service agent, such as SAP Referral Services.
Deciding whether or not to partner with a service agent for SAP referrals or to give your employees a substance abuse professional list is a big decision.
Substance Abuse Professional List or Service Agent?
A substance abuse professional list must contain information about SAPs; where they are located and their contact information, however these SAP’s credentials are self-reported and have not been verified by a credentialing specialist. Often times employees will search a substance abuse professional list for a SAP in their area and end up having to repeat the process.
A service agent however, maintains a list of DOT qualified SAPs and re-credentials the SAPs before scheduling an employee for a face-to-face evaluation. When an employer refers an employee to a service agent they are potentially cutting down the time it takes for an employee to find a SAP in their area.
Benefits of Utilizing a Service Agent
An advantage of contracting a service agent is that it often quickens the process for an employee. Since it takes an employee time to call around to find a professional from a SAP list, it can lengthen their time before they are ready to return to duty. Service agents have a network of qualified SAPs with immediate availability. Service agents, like SAP Referral Services, also offer case management services.
To learn more about SAP Referral Services’ (SRS) case management and referral services, or to partner with SRS, call 410-668-8110 or click here to connect.
SAP Referral Services (SRS) is the leading facilitator for mandated substance abuse evaluations. SRS maintains an extensive network of qualified providers in more than 3,000 locations nationwide for testing violations that originate from any of the DOT’s modes including FMCSA, FAA, FRA, FTA, USCG and PHMSA, or a company’s internal drug and alcohol testing policy.