Last week I went into stealth mode and called some local “competitors,” pretending to be looking for information about drug testing programs. It was more “enlightening” than I had imagined!
I was told by two occupational health clinics that claim to do DOT and non-DOT drug and alcohol testing, that it is perfectly acceptable to use a rapid screening device for a DOT drug test.Really? Yes. Really.
If that isn’t bad enough, one even told me that for small companies, random testing isn’t required. In both cases, this was not the person who answered the phone, but the “higher authority” to whom I was referred.
Employers beware! Much of the world is ruled by fools and the uninformed. And guess what? If your provider, like these, doesn’t practice proper protocol, guess who pays? YOU!
Employers with drug and alcohol testing programs are responsible for the entire process. Through the legal concept of agency, your drug and alcohol testing provider is acting ON YOUR BEHALF. If he does everything right, great! If not, guess who’s out of compliance? Guess who gets to pay the fines? YOU!
Make sure your drug and alcohol testing provider uses only properly trained collectors.
