WASHINGTON FRA-mandated minimum drug and alcohol random test rates will remain at their lowest levels in 2010, said the agency Jan. 13 after reporting that positive tests for substance abuse among rail workers is barely a blip on the random-testing radar screen.
The FRA said it would require railroads in 2010 to administer random drug tests to 1 in 4 rail workers in safety sensitive positions, and random tests for alcohol use to 1 in 10 rail workers in safety sensitive positions. This is the same minimum testing requirement as 2009.
Announcing that because the industry-wide random drug testing positive rate has remained below 1 percent for the last two years of data, the FRA said it would impose the minimum annual random drug testing rate of 25 percent in 2010.
And because the industry-wide random alcohol testing violation rate has remained below one-half of one percent for the last two years, the FRA said it would retain the minimum 10 percent random test rate for alcohol use in 2010.
The FRA makes its determination annually using the two most recent years of data collected by railroads that must administer the level of random tests required by the FRA.
Were positive tests for drug use to exceed 1.0 percent, or positive tests for alcohol to exceed 0.5 percent, the FRA could impose a considerably higher random testing requirement as high as 1 in 2 workers for drug and alcohol random testing.
For test years 2007 and 2008, the percentage of positive drug tests was .056 and .046, respectively. And for test years 2007 and 2008, the percentage of positive alcohol tests was .018 and .015, respectively.
Individual railroads may, at their discretion, conduct random testing at higher rates.
I really hated seeing that person with the white lab coat coming out to the bridge completely unnanounced. I passed all three random tests. Definetly keeps you honest.
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