Canadians Oppose FRA Proposal to Mandate Random and Post Accident Drug and Alcohol Testing of Foreign Based Employers
What could be wrong with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) proposing to mandate random drug and alcohol testing for all employees that directly impact railroad safety within the United States regardless of where the employer is domiciled? Aren’t all employers involved in US rail operations in favor of mandates that protect the safety of their employees? According to representatives of Canadian railroads at the FRA’s Public Hearing on February 14, 2002, attended by DATIA, plenty could be wrong with the FRA’s proposal and emotions are mixed concerning proposed new mandates to improve safety on US railroads. Read DATIA’s report on the day’s events.

DATIA Announces New Speakers for 2002 Annual Conference
What will you be doing on May 3rd and 4th? If your answer is “I don‘t know,” then you should join the over 500 expected attendees in San Antonio for DATIA’s 6th Annual Conference. All speakers have been confirmed and the agenda and speakers are sure to provide you with concrete tools and tactics to implement in your daily operations the day you return home. Mari Miller, in charge of Oregon’s database of positive and refusal to test drug and alcohol test results, will talk candidly on the database and how it can work as a national database. Rose Vela of American Airlines, Deborah Moore of the Texas Department of Transportation, and Brian Linder of Marathon Ashland Petroleum, will speak on whether or not drug and alcohol testing has worked for their companies. Learn from these employers who will speak truthfully about their successes and disappointments with drug and alcohol testing. Tom Eden, of Wallace, Jordan, Ratliff, and Brandt, will give you the ammunition you need to avoid being a courtroom casualty where drug and alcohol testing legal issues are concerned. Many more industry leaders and experts will be presenting so we encourage you to view DATIA’s full agenda and register for the conference.

Question and Answer
Q: If an employee is laid off from his/her company should that individual be removed from the random pool? Furthermore, if out of the pool will they always need a pre-employment test to re-join?

A: Since the DOT drug and alcohol testing program is an employer-based program, when an employee no longer works for an employer, he/she must be removed from the random testing pool for that employer. When the employee is re-hired by another company, the modal regulations will determine whether or not a pre-employment test needs to be performed. Read the full answer.

Read other DATIA questions and answers.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR:
DATIA’s 2002 Training Sessions announced! All 2001 courses were sold out, and the 2002 courses are filling up fast. Don’t miss your chance to receive this much-needed training in 2002. http://www.datia.org/education/educationmainpage.htm

DATIA’s 2002 Annual Conference will be held May 2-4, 2002 in San Antonio, TX. Registration online or read this year's agenda.
http://www.datia.org/conference/2002/2002_conf_broch/brochures/index.html