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FTA
Drug and Alcohol Regulation Updates |
FOR YOUR INFORMATION |
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Where to Find? ..... DHHS Labs The current list of DHHS certified labs is published the first week of each month and is printed in the Federal Register under the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) heading. Only those labs certified can be used for FTA drug testing. The list should be checked monthly as new labs are being added and others are being removed. Web site location: http:// www.workplace.samhsa.gov/ ResourceCenter/lablist.htm To verify the certification status of a laboratory, DHHS has established a telephone HELPLINE (800) 843-4971.
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Information on Recidivism Still Being Gathered Little is known regarding recidivism rates associated with FTA Drug and Alcohol Testing Regulations. Recidivism rates represent the percentage of employees that test positive a second time following an initial positive test result. Since FTA has determined that this information would be beneficial to the transit industry, a questionnaire was placed on the FTA web site in February 2006 and transit systems were asked to respond. The initial response was excellent with over 130 transit systems representing 39 states. The preliminary results represent over 17,600 safety-sensitive transit employees. Of the respondents, 85% had a zero-tolerance policy with the remaining 15% having a second-chance policy. Information was gathered for the time period from 1995 through 2005. During that span, 1,735 positive test results were recorded among the sample. Thirty-six percent (36%) or 632 employees were given a second chance and entered a treatment program recommended by a Substance Abuse Professional (SAP). Of those receiving treatment, 43.7% received outpatient treatment, 16.5% received group therapy, 13.3% received seven or more sessions of individual counseling, 4.7% received marijuana awareness training, 4.5% received 30-day inpatient treatment and the remaining 17.3% received other types of treatment/counseling. Ninety percent (90%) of those that entered a treatment program (571employees) completed the return-to-duty process and resumed safety-sensitive duties.  Twenty-seven percent (27%) were in a follow-up testing program with a one year duration, whereas, nearly 63% were in a five year follow-up testing program. The remaining ten percent (10%) were in a two, three, or four year follow-up testing program. In 2000, the industry appeared to undergo a pronounced philosophical change regarding follow-up testing programs. Prior to 2000, 67% of the follow-up testing programs were one year in duration. For the years 2000 and beyond, the pattern changed and 67% of the follow-up testing programs were five years in duration. Of the employees who entered a follow-up testing program, 23% had the minimum six tests during the first year with the majority (57.2%) having seven to twelve tests within the first year. Of those employees who completed the return-to-duty process, 38.5 % tested positive a second time. The majority (51%) tested positive within the first year and ninety percent (90%) tested positive within three years. Eighty percent (80%) of the employees tested positive for the same substance as their initial positive, whereas twenty percent (20%) tested positive for a different substance. Marijuana constituted the majority of second-chance positives followed by cocaine and amphetamines. Proportionately, the incidence of amphetamines and marijuana second positive results happened at a rate greater than the initial incidence of positive tests for these substances. This statistic indicates that marijuana and amphetamine users appear to have a higher risk of recidivism. Of those who tested positive a second time, 74 % were operators and 24 % were maintenance employees. Forty percent (40%) of the operators that tested positive the first time, tested positive a second time and eleven percent (11%) tested positive a third time or more. Thirty percent (30%) of the maintenance personnel that tested positive the first time, tested positive a second time and three percent (3%) tested positive a third time or more. Less than one-fourth of employees that tested positive were under 34 years of age. Sixty-four percent (64%) of the employees that tested positive were 35-54 years old. Nearly half of the employees in the 45-54 age category that had an initial positive test result tested positive a second time. One third of the employees that tested positive were ten-year plus veterans and over one third of them tested positive a second time. The information presented here constitutes the preliminary results of the data request. Our effort to expand the data base continues. If you have not completed a questionnaire, please do so. The questionnaire can be completed online at transit-safety.volpe.dot.gov/survey. Your response is not mandatory, but will be helpful in the creation of a meaningful database. For more information regarding this data collection effort, please contact the newsletter editor at (937) 299-5007 or rls@rlsandassoc.com. |