frequency of random drug tests?

[kevdog]

I think what they're doing is trying to catch this type of person: "Kewl, I just passed my drug test! Now it'll be 3 years before another... time to fire up this massive party blunt!"

Not really, they were testing about 2 people a week for a few months and the same thing happened the entire time. It was more like great, I have to pay for a taxi to the clinic instead of getting some rest before I head back out tonight this week and next week.

 

[Tweaker]

At my airline, once tested, your name is removed from eligibility(at least for a repeat of the alcohol or drug variety) for the remainder of that quarter. Assumming that the quarter is Jan-Mar,etc. you should not be eligible for a repeat of a certain kind of test until the next quarter.

 

[Ralph Cramden]

Her's what I can tell you, having been the pee test supervisor for a 121 company. Keep in mind the regs allow some leeway in the process, but most places farm this job out to cut costs and keep their distance from the process for legal reasons.

Pre employment: Everybody takes the IQ test, period.

Random: Company seperates names from SSNs, sends list of SSNs to vendor. Vendor draws SSNs out of hat at least 12 times per year, but even that draw date & frequency is random. SSNs go to company pee person, who matches SSN to person and checks schedules for the ambush date/time. Pee person has 30 days to ambush you. Once you are snagged, you have 2 hours to report for testing. FAA sets percentages of required personnel (safety sensitive folks) and changes the percentages occasionally based on pass/fail rate and politics. Vendor sends slightly more than required rate to account for vacations, LOAs, terminations. Company is responsible for keeping list current to vendor. Company is also supposed to ambush randomly, not just at begining or end of trips (yeah right, I always got it at the end of a 14 hr duty day!).

Probable Cause: This is serious. Implies suspicion of current drug/alcohol use, not "I knew Fred in college 20 years ago, he was a pot head". Requires TWO drug policy trained supervisors to agree on evidence to send you testing. Your record will show test type as probable cause even if you are clean, so avoid this at all costs.

They have to tell you the test type in writing on the form.

Glad I could help. If you get randomed all the time change your SSN!

 

[Gorilla]

Probable Cause: This is serious. Implies suspicion of current drug/alcohol use, not "I knew Fred in college 20 years ago, he was a pot head". Requires TWO drug policy trained supervisors to agree on evidence to send you testing. Your record will show test type as probable cause even if you are clean, so avoid this at all costs.

Thanks for the excellent info. Question on "probable cause"... is a particular test announced as "This is a Probable Cause urinalysis" when you show up, because someone dropped a dime on you out of spite, like a crazed ex-girlfriend? In other words, do they have to tell you the test is PC? I understand post accident stuff, etc, but can they hide a PC test within a standard random test?

 

[Ralph Cramden]

That depends. If your company uses a vendor to generate randoms, the short answer is no. If they self generate, it would be possible but not wise, as you could sue the crap out of them (assuming they are dumb enough to go there).

As far as I know the form has to state the test type, but it has been a few years since I was in this position and rules do change. All I can tell you is IF I were to be sending someone to a probable cause, I would have to get another sup to agree AND pass it through company legal. My company was a large regional at the time and would never bite on the ex GF dropping a dime deal. Way too much libility for a lawsuit. However, if a fellow pilot, a CS agent & the mechanic that fixed your plane came in independent of each other with similar tales, you are going down. The guideline was "specific, contemperanous (sp) evidence, preferably from independent sources"

Good luck, but unless you work for a really stupid company I wouldn't wory about that situation.

 

[Ralph Cramden]

Hey Gorilla, if you are still around here's more info. Test type shows up on the "go directly to testing" form and on the report back to the company. The report back to company form is part of your PRIA paperwork and will be seen by future employers. I just got my PRIA records and my tests were all labeled as Type = Random, so there you go.

So, in you example, they hide a probable cause test on you as a random. You come up clean and then bolt for a new job. Your PRIA records are clean, as the random does not imply suspicion, only that you were doing your job and were clean. It may be underhanded for an employer to do it this way but no real foul to your career (and real hard/not worth trying to prove otherwise).

Hope that helps. Was she worth it?

 

[Gorilla]

Hope that helps. Was she worth it?

My scenario was purely hypothetical... But thanks!

Actually, I've always been fascinated by the whole process, and the so-called "need" for random checks among pilots.

In my experience with medical testing, another "false positive" (NOT drugs) caused unbelievable grief in my immediate family. I don't trust clinical testing, and after that episode, I never will.

 

[Slippery Mick]

Her's what I can tell you, having been the pee test supervisor for a 121 company.

I think I used to work where you used to work.

 

[ShamH85]

Initial Drug Screening

So how does the drug screening process go for a newhire? Is it just a piss test or do they take a hair follicle test along with the urine?? How far back does a hair test go? I was just concerned because I heard from a buddy that the hair test can go back as far as 7years?

 

[Ralph Cramden]

Well just do the full body shave and tell them you are an olympic swimmer!

There is no provision for doing a hair test in the D&A testing law. Yes, I know this test exists, but it is not covered under the law, nor is a blood test.

Somebody with an overactive imagination is spoofing you!