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official, who possessed much expertise and training in making impaired driving determinations and the possible causes, had called an ambulance to test the driver for any other potential health-related issues that may have explained her erratic behavior. Te medical experts tested the woman’s blood- sugar levels and performed other checks, but were unable to determine a cause. With the erratic driving reported, the driver being unable to follow simple commands, and other indicators, the supervisor took the driver for a reasonable suspicion drug test. Before the result had been released however, the very next day the driver took herself to the doctor for an evaluation and possible explanation. Unfortunately during this visit, the doctor determined she had a medical situation so severe it required immediate surgery. Te driver had quite possibly put a doctor visit off for an extended period of time and only went in to be examined in order to explain her behavior and possible non-negative result of the reasonable suspicion test the previous day. As with many people, sometimes health and other things are put off too long while working hard to earn a living. Sometimes even to a point where a serious health issue is discovered too late, such as in this situation. Te safety-sensitive employee unfortunately did not recover from the surgery. With so many supervisors failing to


closely monitor their safety-sensitive employees, or monitoring them but not making the proper determinations to test, they are not only missing the potential drug/alcohol user unsafely performing their duties while impaired, but they could also unknowingly have an employee performing duties with a serious health mater. Some of those health maters could potentially be life-threatening. And while training is required with specifics of what it must include, effective training is critical for those making the determinations so they are made thoroughly and with confidence.


www.datia.org


Determining Effective Training


Tere are several methods available for geting supervisors adequate training for making reasonable suspicion testing determinations, from DVDs, to online training, to having an expert come to the employer to perform training onsite. Whether you are someone who performs or develops the training or an employer needing the training for your team, the most effective method is one that will discuss not only the “Whys”—indicators of drug/alcohol use—but will also go over the “How To’s”—from making the determination, to the interview of the employee, to the end of the process, including documentation, testing the employee, and geting them safely home. Effective training should go over all the


regulations the employer is under, such as: How many supervisors are needed and required to make the determination? If only one supervisor is required, can the company require two or more? Do regulations require that the company document the determination to test? What are the time limits for the testing? Tese are just a few questions to consider. Training should also include as many signs and symptoms as possible to help the supervisor make the determination and document which test they are doing—both drug and alcohol or only drug testing, for instance—based on the indicators and what they can clearly articulate for doing each test. It should cover the best methods for talking to the employee, where to have the discussion, and what to discuss to reduce confrontation as much as possible. It should go over the method used for geting the employee to the testing facility and what happens aſter testing, such as how to get them home, or what non-safety-sensitive duties they can perform, if available. Te training also should cover the DOT agency- required documentation, time limits for the documentation, and the end of the testing incident. Te training should include an easily accessible checklist for the supervisor


to follow, including a form to document the decision to test. For effectiveness, some agencies require


recurrent training; however, recurrent training is suggested for all supervisors annually if possible, but not less than every two years, to keep the indicators, processes, and procedures fresh, and help to secure the supervisors’ confidence. In the end, if the training is effective,


those trained should confidently be able to make the determination to test without needing to reach out to their HR Department as “backup” for their decision or another supervisor (unless federally required). Supervisor training that was not effective most assuredly leads to supervisors who are either intimidated by making the determinations, or supervisors who will not make a determination due to their lack of confidence or fear of a possible lawsuit. Ineffective training also creates the potential for missed opportunities to protect the employee and others from unsafe transportation operators. ❚


Elizabeth Moss is the director of operations for National Safety Compliance, Inc., based in Laguna Hills, Cali- fornia. Her experience spans over 12 years in transporta-


tion safety and compliance in both the public and private sectors. Specializing in controlled substance and alcohol misuse regulatory oversight for over 1000+ clients, Ms. Moss has become a subject matter expert. She assists motor carriers in regulatory compliance and has developed and maintained active connec- tions within the transportation industry with both local auditors and the directors of DOT modal agencies. She has a strong belief in the value of timely and comprehensive education to remain relevant and proactive in all fields of DOT compliancy. Ms. Moss is National Safety Compliance’s primary educator in the field of drug and alcohol testing and is a DATIA-Certi- fied Professional Collector Trainer.


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