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- Selected drivers of county equipment will be randomly drug tested
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By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
An area drug-testing company will perform the Department of Transportation mandated drug testing for drivers of county equipment.
Chad Huff, of Mobile Medical, offered to do the testing for the county for a $50 per test fee. He will use a scientific method to select the drivers needing testing.
"I was certified with DOT in March," said Huff.
He said his company began in 2000. Huff then became a police officer in Ft. Green. He then determined to also do the drug testing.
He uses the 50/10 random sample and will test selected drivers each calendar year who have CDL licenses and who operate a vehicle over 26,000 pounds.
"I am completely mobile and I am based in Chester," said Huff.
The Omnibus Transportation Employee Testing Act of 1991 requires drug and alcohol testing of safety-sensitive transportation employees in aviation, trucking, railroads, mass transit, pipelines and other transportation industries. DOT publishes rules on who must conduct drug and alcohol tests, how to conduct those tests and what procedures to use when testing. These regulations cover all transportation employers, safety-sensitive transportation employees and service agents -roughly 12.1 million people in the United States.
Huff will also perform pre employment drug testing.
Most pre-employment drug testing is urine-based. This form of testing is considered to be an 'intelligent' test.
"We do the paperwork and the testing and then send the sample to a Kansas lab," said Huff. "A medical doctor in Phoenix, AZ, reads the results and returns them to Huff.
"DOT requires a five-panels drug test," said Huff.
The Utah Highway Patrol often uses the alcohol breath test. There is an alcohol urine test that can also be given but DOT does not approve that test for their purposes.
"The test can look back a few days and has been pretty accurate for court cases," said Jared Eldridge, county attorney.
Chad Winn, commissioner, said the training needed for the alcohol/urine test was an additional training, above and beyond the urine drug test.
He said that a form has to be filled out and submitted by March every year in order to meet the requirements of DOT.
Random drug testing is the most effective format. The objective of a random drug test is deterrence, as the threat of detection is much higher versus other testing methods. The goal of random testing is to discourage drug use among employees by not telling anyone who will be tested or when the test will take place.
DOT requires an employee to undergo a drug test after an accident to determine if he/she was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the accident. Post-Accident testing is often used in the transportation, manufacturing, and construction industries or when a company vehicle is involved. This type of testing can reduce the company's liability.
Probable drug testing is carried out when an employee is suspected to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol while at work. This term should be defined within a company's Drug Testing policy to prevent discrimination.
Employees who have violated the drug testing policy before being allowed to return to work must submit to a return-to-duty test. Follow-up tests are conducted unannounced and at least six tests will are generally conducted in the first 12 months after an employee returns to duty. Follow-up testing may also be extended for up to 60 months following return to duty.
Effective August 31, 2009, the Department of Transportation ('DOT') will required employees in safety-sensitive positions to submit to 'observed' urination drug testing for all follow-up and return-to-duty drug tests. DOT regulations require these employees to complete substance abuse programs before returning to their safety-sensitive positions.
"We don't have a contract and you can drop our services at any time," said Huff.
"We do need a contract," said LuWayne Walker, commissioner.
Mike Seely, county administrator, and Waite, will draw up a contract but commissioners did approve the hiring of Huff.
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