Dot Drug Testing To Safeguard The Rights Of The Employees

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The importance of drug testing these days for people who work in critical jobs, like transportation, aviation etc., is paramount.

The importance of drug testing these days for people who work in critical jobs, like transportation, aviation etc., is paramount. There are several government jobs that require employees to be tested for drugs. These drug tests are mandatory and conducted by government agencies that run these tests for various government sectors and organization that are on government contracts. Failure to report for a drug test will result in loss of job or cancellation of contract. Such drug tests are usually conducted by the Department of Transportation or DOT. They are also known as DOT drug testing. The testing is conducted for alcohol or dangerous addictive substances in the blood.

The drug testing is done with the help of a biological sample taken from the subject’s body. The sample is usually urine, hair, blood, sweat, or saliva and it depends on the drug that the test is being conducted for. For example alcohol will be detected in the urine for up to 24 hours. It will be detected in the ...
... hair for 2 days and the blood for 24 hours. DOT drug testing is conducted on employees and the employers that fall under the radar of the government. This form of testing is done to reduce the risk of damage while transporting sensitive cargo.

The use of specific drugs such as cannabis, cocaine and heroin is prohibited by the government. Today, the DOT drug testing has become so advanced that they can conduct a drug test on a urine sample for 10 different drugs. These include amphetamines that include methamphetamine; barbiturates; benzodiazepines; cannabinoids or also known as THC; cocaine or commonly known as coke; methadone; methaqualone; opiates including its variants codeine; morphine; heroin; oxycodone and vicodin; phencyclidine or PCP; and propoxyphene. The reason why these drugs are specifically selected for a 10 drug urine screen test is because they are easily accessible in the US and chances are drivers will end up using them.

Apart from government contractors, there are several independent non-governmental transportation services that have implemented DOT drug testing. These tests can’t be doctored or tampered as they follow high standard procedure. These drugs and alcohol testing of DOT are also used to certify drivers. Anyone seeking this certification must have a negative test result. Apart from transportation, DOT also specifies the transportation sector that falls under the drug testing radar. These include employees and employers of aviation, pipelines, public transportation, railroad and sailors.

The level of sensitivity determines the weather or not you qualify for a drug test. For example aviation employers need to deal with sensitive aircraft equipment and ensure safe transportation of passengers. Whereas government pipeline employees have to deal with LNG and carbon dioxide pipelines. One small error can result in disastrous circumstances and loss of lives. Hence it is important that the employees be free from drug and alcoholic while at work. Thus, it is important that an employer should hire the services of the best Drug Testing Company in order to safeguard the rights of the employees.
Resource: http://www.compliancesafetysystems.com/mro_drug.html