Post-Accident Drug Testing and the Safety-Sensitive Employee
Post-accident drug testing may be required for any safety-sensitive employee who has been involved in an accident while they are on the job. The test is completed in order to make sure that the employee’s accident was not due to drug and/or alcohol misuse.
Post-accident drug and/or alcohol tests are required after the following types of incidents: accidents with damage to the vehicle that requires tow away services, incidents that result in injuries that need off-site medical attention, and accidents that cause a fatality all require post-accident drug testing.
The drug and/or alcohol test is performed within 12 hours of an employee being involved in a workplace accident. Employees should not return to work until after the test result has come back.
How is Post-Accident Drug Testing Performed?
Urine specimen is the only acceptable form of drug and/or alcohol testing for federally mandated drug testing programs. This is because urine can detect drugs and/or alcohol use that is recent and helps employers understand if they played a part in the accident in question.
What Happens After a Failed Drug and/or Alcohol Test?
If a DOT-mandated, safety-sensitive employee fails a drug and/or alcohol test they will immediately be removed from their safety-sensitive duties until they have successfully complied with the SAP program. Finding a SAP can sometimes prove difficult, so it is helpful to partner with a service agent so that your employees can get back to work quickly.
Contacting SAP Referral Services
If you have employees that have failed drug and/or alcohol tests, including after workplace accidents, consider partnering with the service agent SRS to connect your employees to SAPs in their area quickly. Contact us today for more information.