Employees Are Required to Cooperate with DOT Drug & Alcohol Testing Procedures

The Federal Drug and Alcohol Testing Regulations require employees to cooperate with the testing process. Failure to do so is considered to be the same as a refusal to test which carries the same penalty as a positive test result.

Part 40 highlights two examples of failure to cooperate - the employee refuses to empty pockets when instructed to do so; and the employee behaves in a confrontational way that disrupts the testing process.

Among others are:

• The employee fails to wash his or her hands after being directed to do so by the collector.
• The employee admits to the collector that he or she adulterated or substituted the specimen;
• The employee is found to have a device - such as a prosthetic appliance - the purpose of which is to "cheat the test" by not providing an actual urine specimen.

When the issue is a problem with refusing to following instructions - for example, refusing to empty pockets or refusing to wash hands - or if there is a confrontation, the collector is required to warn the employee of potential consequences of a failure to cooperate; and if practical, seek assistance from the Designated Employer Representative (DER) or supervisor to ensure that the employee understands the ramifications.

When the issue is admission of adulteration or substitution or when a device is found, there is no stipulation for the collector to warn the employee or to seek assistance from the DER or supervisor.

In every case, the collector will follow the procedures at 40.191(d) by terminating the collection process, immediately notifying the DER of the refusal, and thoroughly documenting the circumstances surrounding the event in the remarks section of the Chain of Custody Form (CCF).

With proper documentation on the CCF, the Medical Review Officer (MRO) will then contact the employee, confirm the information and subsequently provide the employer with the test result.