A company that decides to implement a drug-free workplace policy is always making the right decision. Substance abuse at any level of a company’s operation can be potentially harmful to everyone. Managers making decisions or interacting with others using impaired judgment can make bad decisions that hurt a company’s operations. Employees that rely on their physical skills can perform poorly, or even hurt or kill others if impaired reflexes and reaction times are the results of alcohol or drug abuse.
Any business that’s interested in creating a drug-free workplace policy must put in the work, training both employees and managers. But for some companies, things need to be taken a step further and ensure that management gets DOT supervisor trainer.
When Guidelines Become Law
For businesses within specific industries, drug-free work practices go beyond just being a safe, sensible idea, and become a legal requirement. Firms within the professional transport industry find themselves in this position. The Department of Transportation is a Federal group that oversees all professional-related transportation activities in the USA, so while a private citizen driving a car to work doesn’t fall under their jurisdiction, an airline pilot, or bus, or subway operator does.
Because these businesses involve the operation of vehicles for business and professional reasons, a higher standard of practice is expected. This is both to protect passengers on vehicles, as well as goods that may be transported across different links in a supply chain. Part of this higher standard of protocol is a legal requirement for a drug-free workplace that is enforced with mandatory drug testing.
Different Agencies Different Needs
Professional transportation, however, is not one large standardized group. Professional drivers in public transport, for example, have different needs and working practices from a truck driver hauling freight across the state. In the same way, neither of their methods may necessarily apply to an airline pilot or an aircraft mechanic.
As a result, the Department of Transportation has different “sub-agencies” that look after the specific needs of different areas of professional transportation. Trucking for moving goods falls under the jurisdiction of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, while rail-based activities are under the Federal Railroad Administration. And in the same way that these different industries operate in different ways, they also have different standards for how drug testing works.
Get The Right Training
For companies, staying compliant with DOT requirements means that testing must be done according to the regulations of the specific DOT agency the business answers to. FRA testing may be similar in some respects to FAA testing policies, but it will vary in other ways.
This means that DOT supervisor training should always be used for all relevant staff. More importantly, the right DOT training should be used for the right industry. To ensure that your company stays compliant, you should always make sure that you and your supervisors are getting the relevant DOT certified drug testing protocol and training. It’s the best way to not only remain in good standing with the DOT but to have a safer company, with a reduced risk of harm and legal liability.
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