Anyone that runs a business knows there will always be contingencies, emergencies, and other unexpected events that need to be dealt with. One of the most damaging issues that can befall a workplace, its morale, and even the work culture is substance abuse, which has many negative consequences for a working environment.
In some cases, however, ensuring a work environment is drug-free isn’t just a matter of convenience and safety, it may also be a matter of law, and remaining compliant with government agency regulations, such as the Department of Transportation or the Federal Railroad Administration.
To ensure a drug-free workplace, a proper policy, with appropriately trained staff, is required. One of the keys to this is getting proper employer representative training.
What Is It?
You can’t just institute a general drug-free policy in your workplace, make an announcement about it, and then leave it at that, hoping for the best. This is especially true if you need to comply with some agency. Pilots that fly planes, operators on the railways, and truck drivers all need to be regularly tested for drugs in their system, and the method of collection and testing must adhere to the individual regulations that different agencies have.
This means that you need to have someone who is trained in the proper handling of employees, collecting samples, ensuring proper, fair, uncontaminated collection procedures, and sending those samples off to approved testers for reliable results.
Getting Proper Training
As you might imagine, all of this requires extensive training and then much practice, so this isn’t a casual position, and it’s one that will require intensive employer representative training. You can send someone to get this training in several different ways. One is through a training facility with proper classes and equipment to ensure that your staff gets both the theory, the regulatory certification, and, most importantly, practice.
However, there is another alternative, and that is to get employee representative training online. This is a good way for potential trainees to get access to the theory and information they need. Different agencies will have different requirements for compliance, so what the Federal Aviation Administration wants in terms of testing and collection is not going to be the same as what the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is looking for.
Fortunately, there are a variety of different online courses available to handle specific requirements, such as what the FRA wants for railway workers. And with online training, this is a great way for those that may live far away from a training facility to get the education they need without having to sacrifice too much time away from work and family commuting long distances to get to the classes.
Some online training courses even offer special equipment that is sent to the trainees so that they can practice sample collection. Be sure to research what you need to remain compliant, or talk to someone experienced enough to help guide you. Then you find the right training program for your people and maintain a safer, more sober working environment.