Interested in how are employees selected for random testing? Find out the details from the DOT Publication Best Practices for Random Drug and Alcohol Testing.
Everyone in a random testing pool must have an equal chance of being selected and tested in each selection period.
Be sure to use a scientifically valid method to select employees for testing, which may include: use of a random-number table, a computer-based random number generator that’s traceable to a specific employee (or with FRA, a group).
At InOut Labs, we use an industry-specific software package which meets all DOT requirements, allows us to select alternates, send notifications to employers, and even “check them off the list” when tests are completed.
Note: In the railroad industry, it is a common practice to select employees by the train number rather than specific employee. This would mean that any covered employee working on that train on a specific day (whether it was their regularly assigned position or not) would be tested. Only the FRA permits this practice.
Warning: Unacceptable random selection practices include selecting numbers from a hat, rolling dice, throwing darts, picking cards, or selecting ping pong balls.
