Qualified Substance Abuse Professional Network

Depending on the day-to-day activities of your employees, you may need to comply with DOT regulations regarding drug and/or alcohol testing and ensuring a drug-free and alcohol-free workplace. The DOT requires that employers of safety-sensitive employees create and maintain a drug and alcohol-free environment. A drug-free work environment is an important public safety issue, so the DOT doesn’t give you any breathing room.

DOT Requirements and Employer Responsibilities

As an employer, it’s your responsibility to take steps to ensure a safe environment for your employees as well as the general public. Employers of safety-sensitive employees in the transportation industry must create a DOT-compliant drug and alcohol program. This program requires drug and alcohol testing that occurs randomly, as part of a pre-employment process as well as post-accident and after reasonable suspicion.

What happens if one of your employees fails or refuses to take a drug and/or alcohol test? You must provide referral for evaluation and treatment by a Substance Abuse Professional. The DOT offers guidelines to help you ensure your drug and alcohol program meets their regulations. Unfortunately, some employers find the process very daunting.

What is a Substance Abuse Professional (SAP)?

A Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) is trained to evaluate DOT mandated, safety-sensitive employees after a drug and/or alcohol violation. A DOT qualified SAP may recommend education, treatment, more testing and additional care to help the employee overcome their problems with drugs or alcohol.

Essentially, the SAP is the primary decision maker when it comes to determining whether or not a safety-sensitive employee returns to duty. These experts know what to do when an employee has violated your drug and alcohol policy and they’ll make sure that employee gets the treatment they need before returning to work.

Explore the Services SRS Offers Employers

SAP Referral Services (SRS) helps you make sure your employees get the help they need when they need it. When one of your employees violates a drug and/or alcohol regulation, you are required by the DOT to refer them to a substance abuse professional. Working with SRS means we do the heavy lifting for you. We make it easy for your employees to connect with a Substance Abuse Professional in their area and get them the help that they need.

We offer access to DOT qualified providers in over 3,000 locations. Then, once your safety-sensitive employee undergoes a SAP process, we maintain copies of all case records as required by the DOT. If you’re an employer who’s looking for help meeting DOT regulations and providing substance abuse services, contact us today for more information.

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.