More than twenty years ago, in 1990, a Statement of National Transportation Policy Strategies for action said that transportation-related businesses employed one-tenth of the American work force. That number has more than doubled by the year 2013, and it’s expected to keep rising. This being said, it’s no wonder that creating drug-free working environments is an important issue to the DOT (Department of Transportation). DOT has instituted a set of rules regarding drug and alcohol testing programs, that have to be followed by the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) and FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration), and which must be adhered to by all transportation-related companies in the United States. Keep reading to find out more about FAA drug testing procedures and to see how you can implement an FAA drug testing program in your business, to ensure a drug-free environment.

Global attitudes towards recreational drug use may have gotten a bit less radical over the past few decades, but not when it comes to operating heavy machinery. It’s essential to make sure that every active employee working as a driver in a transportation-related company is drug-free, because there’s too much at stake. When you’re dealing with air transport, pilots and the companies behind them are responsible for the lives of all the passengers on board, and while many of you might have sympathized with Denzel Washington in “Flight”, if the situation happened in real life you’d understandably feel outraged and angry.

This is why it’s imperative for any air transportation company to adhere to the FAA drug testing rules and regulations, and to implement an approved FAA drug testing program to ensure that the work environment is kept clear of drugs. There are a few different things which must be included in any approved FAA drug testing program, ranging from setting up a code or rules and procedures regulating alcohol and drug use and providing FAA drug testing training programs to all levels in the business structure, from employees to supervisors and managers, to providing adequate collection facilities and maintaining the confidentiality of all employee files.

An approved FAA drug testing program has to also set up procedures for when employees will be tested. There are several testing procedures included in an approved FAA drug testing program, including but not limited to Per-Employment testing, Random Sampling, Reasonable-Suspicion Testing, Follow-ups and Return-to-work scenarios.

If you’re worried about setting up an approved FAA drug testing program in your company, because you’re not sure you’ll be able to address every point that’s required, you can always use the services of a reliable company which deals with managing and operating corporate and business alcohol and drug testing programs. There are a few excellent drug testing consortiums out there, and getting help from one can ensure that your company will be in tip-top shape whenever you get an FAA audit.

If you own a small, transportation-related business in California find out more about FAA drug testing http://www.neweradrugtesting.com procedure that apply to you, and see what you need to do to set up an approved FAA drug testing program http://www.neweradrugtesting.com in your company, to promote a drug-free work environment.