A Solid Drug and Alcohol Policy. Why it Matters

Federally mandated employers are required to have clearly defined drug and alcohol policies. This includes anyone who operates a business regulated by a U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) modal agency – Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) etc. But even if your business is Non-DOT or not required under federal regulations to test for drugs and alcohol, non-mandated companies will also reap the safety and business benefits of having an alcohol and drug policy in place.

Protection & Prevention

Policies are protection and prevention for the companies as well as employees. Having a policy helps communicate expectations and consequences and helps reduce accidents and injury. It also helps identify substance abuse in the workplace and supports employers in making fitness for duty determinations.

Drug and alcohol policies have been shown to be a powerful deterrent, decreasing absenteeism, downtime, turnover, and theft in workplaces and increasing productivity and morale among employees who feel looked after and cared for. A policy can also lower premium costs for certain kinds of insurance, such as Workers’ Compensation.

January Reminders

How to stay on top of your drug and alcohol testing program in 2024:

• If you have not already updated your company’s random drug and alcohol testing program, now is a great time to do that before we all get back into full swing. It is also a good time to make sure your company is prepared, once the DOT Oral Fluid Testing option becomes available. All companies will then need to be updated to include the oral fluid option. At that time, it will be important to have a standing order submitted to TSS. So why not do it now? Click here for our STANDING ORDER FORM. If you have any questions on updating your drug and alcohol testing program for 2024, please reach out to a TSS representative and we will help answer your questions so you can remain compliant once oral fluid testing starts.

• As January 2024 has arrived most of our customers have turned in their contracts with us so we can continue our “world-class education and screening services for workplace and community safety.” We really appreciate your business and enjoy working with every one of our customers. If you have not renewed your contract yet and this reminds you that you need to… just reach out to your local TSS office and we will assist you in the renewal process. If you are not yet a customer or know of a company that would like to become one, please let us know, we can sign you or them up so you can be confident of compliance as the year gets underway. 

Qualities of a Good DER, From the TPA's Perspective

As a drug screen technician/collector, and Third Party Administrator (TPA), I can tell you from experience that dealing with a good Designated Employee Representative (DER) certainly makes my job a bit easier!

The DER is typically my main contact at a given entity (business, township, etc.) who is authorized to receive and discuss drug screen results. The specific responsibilities of the DER are outlined in 49 CFR part 40:

• Manage the company drug and alcohol screening program 
• Act as liaison for drug and alcohol testing service agents
• Stay informed of test results
• Perform functions necessary according to the test results, such as removing employees from safety-sensitive duties, making decisions regarding testing and evaluations, receiving test results, reporting test results to state/local authorities as needed, following company policy regarding consequences of positive drug tests, and maintaining compliance with DOT regulations.

Understand the Potential Hazards

The new year is always a good time to review safety in your workplace and adjust or develop your safety plan accordingly. One of the first steps to doing this is to be aware of the dangers in your place of business and the wider community, and then implement safety protocols and strategies to address these risks.

Data about the odds of dying provide eye-opening information about the dangers we all encounter, and how they could impact employer safety decisions. For example, 2021 numbers show that the odds of dying from an accidental opioid overdose are actually greater than the likelihood of dying in a motor vehicle crash (1 in 58 versus 1 in 93). That information could help determine whether an employer makes investing in a drug testing program a priority.

Here are some additional statistics that, depending on the job site, may be helpful to employers as they review their protocols and processes.

Coaching Corner: Take Care of Your Liver. Your Body will

Thank You

By Renee Schofield, NO SPEED LIMIT

As a certified health and wellness coach, I am always gathering resources to help people live their best life.



Liver Love? Is that a thing? I don’t know about liver love, but I do know that the liver is a total workhorse. It’s a filter, a director, a storage unit, and a bile production agent. Located in the upper right quadrant of the abdomen, the liver is the largest solid organ in your body, typically weighing about 3 pounds in an average adult.

The liver is the blood filter for your system. That means EVERYTHING you ingest; is first inspected by the liver. It decides where the product goes and how it gets there. The liver removes toxic items and directs them to be disposed of via urine or feces.

It also makes bile to aid in digestion. The bile helps carry away the waste products that the body no longer needs.

Vitamins and minerals are stored in the liver and delivered out as the body needs them. That helps keep healthy levels of what our body needs ready and available.

Furthermore, the liver provides the body with protein synthesis. That means making sure the body has enough of the right proteins at the right times for digestion.

So taking care of your liver is critical to your overall health.