FTA
Drug and Alcohol Regulation Updates
Issue 33, page 4
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.
The information presented on this page should be used to update Chapters 2,
6, and 10 of
the revised Implementation Guidelines.
FTA requires that all covered employers prepare annual reports summarizing test results for each calendar year (§655.72). The information obtained from the Management Information System (MIS) reports is used to monitor the success of the FTA drug and alcohol testing program and to determine the annual random drug and alcohol testing rates for future years. Grantees and State DOT offices are sent mailings in early January providing guidance for submission of MIS reports. Covered employers have the option of reporting on paper forms or on-line via the Internet, although Internet reporting is strongly encouraged. To submit on-line reports, a User Name and Password is required.
Each direct grantee is provided a User Name and Password as part of the January mailing. When grantees log on, they are able to click on a tab labeled "Print Contractors/Subrecipient Names and Passwords." When clicked, this information will be downloaded to a Word file. Grantees can access this information and provide
User Names and
Passwords to each contractor/subrecipient. Subrecipients and contractors
should not contact FTA directly to request their User Name and Password,
but should contact their respective grantee to receive this information.
If the list of contractors/subrecipients provided to the grantees is inaccurate or out of date, the grantee should contact the FTA Drug and Alcohol Management Information System (DAMIS) Project Office at FTA.DAMIS@volpe.dot.gov or call the FTA Drug and Alcohol Hotline at (617) 494-6336 to let us know of new contractors/subrecipients who need User Names and Passwords. Grantees should also notify the FTA DAMIS Project Office of contractors/subrecipients that no longer perform safety-sensitive duties so they can be removed from the database.
Each direct recipient, subrecipient, and contractor is issued a new User Name and Password for each calendar year. Therefore, User Ids and Passwords from previous years may not be used again and should be discarded.
2007 FTA Substance Abuse Seminars and TSI Course Offerings
As an adjunct to the FTA Drug and Alcohol National Conference, FTA is offering one-day seminars to provide essential information to facilitate covered employers' compliance with the drug and alcohol testing regulations (49 CFR Part 655 and Part 40). The seminars will include a high level overview of the regulations and practical guidance on important operational issues. There will also be a number of discussion sessions addressing various "real life" scenarios and breakout groups covering common topics (e.g., how do you make post-accident determinations, etc.). Sessions will also be held on new regulatory interpretations, Notices of Proposed Rule Makings (NPRMs), and annual MIS reporting requirements.
The seminars are free and available on a first-come, first-serve basis. The Spring 2007 Seminar will be held in Chicago, IL and the Summer 2007 Seminar will be held in Atlanta, GA. Check the FTA Office of Safety and Security website (transit-safety.volpe.dot.gov) for dates, locations and registration information. Also, information can be obtained from Felicity Shanahan at (617) 494-3915.
The Transportation Safety Institute (TSI) also offers two half-day courses titled, "Substance Abuse Management" and "Program Compliance". To register and receive more information about their classes, please call (405) 954-3682 or go to http://www.tsi.dot.gov.
Their upcoming schedule is as follows:
| Tampa, FL Jan. 30-Feb. 1,
2007 Ft. Worth, TX Feb. 27-March 1, 2007 Palm Beach, FL March 21-March 23, 2007 |
Flint, MI April 3-April 5,
2007 Williamsburg, VA May 22-May 24, 2007 Pasco, WA June 5-June 7, 2007 |