Any business involved in professional transportation has to comply with Department of Transportation (DOT) requirements. These vary depending on the focus of the company, such as a professional trucking business answering to the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration.
The person who manages the protocols in a business that deals with substance abuse and safety is called the designated employer representative (DER). But what is designated employer representative responsibility? It entails three primary duties.
The Decision Maker
The DER is, first and foremost, a managerial position overlooking any decision related to enforcing DOT drug use regulations. This means that if there is a decision to test a suspected employee for drug use, the DER is the one who makes that choice. Similarly, if a worker fails a drug test, it is the decision and recommendation of the DER that determines whether the employee will be terminated.
Knowing The Rules
It is also the DER's responsibility to know what specific regulations need to be observed. The DER for an air freight company, for example, understands what FAA regulations must be followed for drug and alcohol use among professional pilots. It's the DER's job to know the rules and enforce them in business. Every professional transport company must have a DER to oversee these concerns.
Liaise With Drug Test Personnel
The DER is also responsible for dealing with any drug test-related staff. Drug test collectors meet with and take direction from the DER. Once samples have been sent to a lab, it is the DER whom the lab contacts to give positive or negative results from the test. It is then the DER's responsibility to relay those results to management.
The designated employer representative responsibility, however, is not simply given. Training is required, and that varies with the corresponding federal agency that a business must comply with, such as DER training for logistics companies in trucking.
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