These guidelines will allow federal executive branch agencies to collect and test oral fluid specimen as a part of their drug testing programs.

The OFMG will be effective starting January 1st 2020. However, federal agencies will not be able to conduct oral fluid drug testing of federal employees until HHS has approved laboratories for oral fluid drug testing in accordance with the OFMG.

These guidelines may also be used by agencies such as the Department of Transportation (DOT) and Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) as part of their regulated drug testing programs, but these agencies must engage in separate rule-making activities.

This is the first time since 1986 that a specimen other than urine will be able to be used in the federal agency testing programs.

Some important things to take note of with these new changes:

-The specimen collection, laboratory analysis, and medical review of oral fluid tests will mirror existing procedures and processes currently in place for urine drug testing.
-Laboratories must be approved by the HHS National Laboratory Certification Program for oral fluid drug testing. Requirements for approval will largely mirror those currently in place for urine drug testing laboratories.
-The oral fluid specimen collections must be observed, use an FDA-cleared specimen collection device, and will require split specimen procedures using 2 separate devices.
-Federal agencies will be allowed to use oral fluid testing for all of the same testing reasons as currently authorized for urine drug testing and will not be required to choose between using only urine or oral fluid.
-An approved federal custody and control form (CCF) will be used to document the oral fluid collection and establish chain of custody of the specimen.
-The drug testing panel will test for the same drugs as the federal panel for urine drug testing. Cut-off levels specific to oral fluid are included in the OFMG.
-The OFMG contains provisions for when an individual cannot provide adequate volume oral specimen or urine specimen.
-The OFMG only refers to and permits lab-based oral fluid drug testing, not instant or POCT oral fluid testing.

It has taken many years from the first time SAMHSA publicly recognized the valuable attributes of lab-based oral fluid testing until now—announcing the proposed regulations. The agency has said that their hopes with releasing oral fluid testing options will be to help reduce time and money needed in order to maintain a drug testing program, and help eliminate the ever-growing issue of drug test cheating.

To see further details on these latest updates, you can view the guideline announcement here.

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Certain safety-sensitive positions require employers to have a designed SAP, like those that are under Department of Transportation regulation. However, it is considered best practice for all employers to have their own designated Substance Abuse Professional, especially if they desire to maintain a drug-free workplace.

SAPs are responsible for evaluating employees who have violated a drug or alcohol regulation and making recommendations concerning education, treatment, follow-up testing, and aftercare. These professionals can help your employees overcome these addictions and keep your work environment safe.

Who can be an SAP?

According to DOT regulations, a qualified SAP should have a basic knowledge of the following areas:

-The diagnosis and treatment of alcohol and controlled substance-related disorders with some clinical experience
-The SAP role and function in relation to employer interests and safety-sensitive duties
-DOT agency regulations and DOT SAP guidelines

An SAP must also have at least one of the following qualifications: a licensed physician, a licensed or certified social worker, a licensed or certified psychologist, a licensed or certified Employee Assistance Professional, a state-licensed or certified marriage and family therapist, or be drug and alcohol certified by the NAADAC, ICRC, or NBCC.

What will our SAP do?

If an accident, report, or cause for reasonable suspicion comes to a supervisor’s attention, that individual should be tested as soon as possible for drugs and/or alcohol. (If you have questions about how to set up reasonable suspicion or post-accident testing, let us know!) If the employee in question has tested positive, the SAP must have two face-to-face evaluations with the individual (according to DOT regulations).

The first initial evaluation is for the SAP to determine the depth of the problem and what assistance or steps will be required to help the employee. The SAP will then send a letter/email to the employer with the employee’s details along with their recommendations for treatment/education.

After the education or treatment has been approved and the employee has completed all of the recommendations made by the SAP, the SAP will conduct a follow-up evaluation. After the follow-up, the SAP can help recommend follow-up testing requirements for the employer to have the employee in question complete. These requirements can often include:

-A minimum of 6 drug or alcohol test in the first 12 months (continuing for up to 5 years)
-No advance notice of testing dates
-Testing to be done under direct observation
-Inability to substitute other tests in lieu of follow-up testing
-Cancelled follow-up tests must be recollected

A qualified and compliant SAP can help keep your workplace environment safe and protect you as an employer, even if you are not a DOT regulated company.

If you need help understanding how to begin drug testing or other services that could potentially benefit your drug testing program, please reach out to our drug testing department. We’re always happy to help!

The post What Exactly Is A Substance Abuse Professional? appeared first on Blueline.

We thought that these statistics might be useful to consider as you strive to make or update your own workplace drug policies.

This NSC survey was taken by over 500 individuals that make decisions about workplace drug and alcohol programs for their companies. While 86% of the respondents agreed that opioids (even while taken as prescribed) impact job performance, only half (50%) of respondents felt confident about their company’s substance abuse policies and procedures.

Some other interesting statistics from the survey included:

-75% of employers have been directly affected by opioid use
-79% of employers are not very confident that individual employees can spot warning signs of opioid misuse
-One-third of employers have experienced an overdose, arrest, or injury/near-miss
-38% of employers have experienced absenteeism or impaired worker performance
–Despite widespread impact, only 17% of employers feel extremely well prepared to deal with this issue

Nick Smith, interim president and CEO of NSC said, “The opioid crisis is truly encompassing nearly every aspect of American lives. Today’s survey confirms that the No. 1 cause of preventable death is not just taking its toll on our home lives but companies across the country are also grappling with the impact of this epidemic.”

If you have questions about reasonable suspicion training or how you can help get your supervisors trained to handle drug and alcohol abuse within the workplace, please contact us! We’ll help you get it figured out. All Blueline Service clients have access to our FREE reasonable suspicion training materials.

You can contact our drug testing department at mail@blueline-services.com. Please feel free to take a look at NSC’s drug use guide as well here.

The post Employers Speak Up About Illicit Opioid Use At Work appeared first on Blueline.

Professor David Nutt, a psychiatrist and director of neuropsychopharmacology in the Division of Brain Sciences at Imperial College, London, set out to measure just that. He and his team worked on using statistical data to help them measure the potential for and consequences of using certain substances. In completing this research they helped answer an interesting question: What are the five most addictive substances in the world?

1. Heroin

Heroin was listed as the most addictive drug on their scale with a score of 3 out of 3. Heroin is an opiate that causes the level of dopamine in the brain’s reward system to increase by up to 200%. It’s also a very dangerous drug considering the fact that a lethal dose of heroin is only 5 times more than the dose required to get high. Heroin was also rated as the second most harmful drug in terms of damage to users and society within an estimated market of $68 billion dollars for illegal opiates worldwide.

2. Cocaine

Cocaine was listed as number two on their list of addictive substances for its ability to prevent neurons from turning off your brain’s dopamine signal. Dopamine can rise up to more than three times the normal level when on cocaine. In addition to those addicting side effects, it is also extremely dangerous as crack cocaine was listed as the third most damaging drug with powered cocaine ranking at fifth most damaging.

3. Nicotine

Nicotine is the main addictive ingredient in tobacco and was named number three on Nutt’s list. More than two-thirds of Americans who have tried smoking reported becoming dependent during their life. How dangerous is smoking? A 2002 study estimated that tobacco will kill more than 8 million people annually by 2030.

4. Barbiturates (“downers”)

Barbiturates, also known as downers, barbs, blue bullets, nembies, are a type of drug that were initially used to treat anxiety and induce sleep. However, they have long been abused for their ability to cause euphoria at low doses. These drugs can be extremely dangerous because at higher doses they can be lethal due to their ability to suppress breathing. Serious barbiturate abuse and dependence was common when these drugs were more easily available, but this number has seen a significant decline as prescriptions today are not as easily obtained.

5. Alcohol

Although it is legal in both the U.S. and U.K., alcohol scored number five on their list of addictive substances with a 1.9 out of 3 on their scale. In lab experiments they found that alcohol increased dopamine in the brain’s reward system by 40% to 360%. The more alcohol that was consumed, the higher the dopamine levels got. While it is a legal and commonly used substance, alcohol is still dangerous especially when consumed in large quantities. A study conducted by the World Health Organization estimated that 3 million people died in 2012 due to damage caused by drinking. It’s also estimated that 22% of people who have taken a drink will develop dependence on alcohol at some point in their life.

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