Skip to Content | CAO Homepage

Alameda County Law Library Building
125 - 12th Street, 3rd Floor, Oakland, CA 94607 · 510-272-6920

Risk Management Unit, a part of the CAO

Resources for Supervisors

Training

Drug Abuse and Alcohol Misuse Training is required of all supervisors. New supervisors may contact Kimberly Stokes to schedule training.

-- Back To Top --

Forms

  • Employee Clinic Passport (PDF - 174kb)*
    Complete this form and give it to the employee to bring to the clinic, along with their driver's license, once they have been selected for random testing.

-- Back To Top --

Guidelines

An overview of the Alameda County testing program is shown below. For more detailed information on the program and key terms and definitions please review the following guidelines:

Confidentiality Requirement: Driver drug testing results and records are maintained under strict confidentiality by the employer, the drug-testing laboratory, and the Medical Review Officer (MRO). They cannot be released to others without the written consent of the driver.

-- Back To Top --

Overview of Process

Quarterly Random Drug and Alcohol Testing

  • During the first week of each calendar quarter, you will be contacted to submit a list of all drivers in your department to Kimberly Stokes, Risk Coordinator. All (safety sensitive) Alameda County employees will be combined into a pool and names drawn.
  • Approximately one week later, Risk Management will contact you with the names of any of your employees that are selected for testing.
  • Under the regulations, an employee must be tested on the same day that you notify them that testing is required.
  • In most cases, Risk Management will be informed of the test results within 72 hours of testing and will contact you with the results when they are available.

Post–Accident Testing

DOT requires that covered employees undergo drug and alcohol testing whenever:

  • They are involved in an accident while operating County vehicles or equipment if the accident results in a loss of human life;
  • The covered employee receives a traffic citation and any individual receives medical treatment away from the scene of the accident; or
  • The covered employee receives a traffic citation and one or more vehicles are so damaged that they are required to be towed away from the scene of the accident.

Reasonable Suspicion Testing

  • DOT requires that all covered employees be subject to reasonable suspicion drug and/or alcohol testing when the supervisor has reasonable suspicion to believe that the employee has used a prohibited drug and/or engaged in alcohol misuse.
  • The supervisor must receive formal education and training on drug abuse and alcohol misuse.

Return to Duty Testing

  • DOT requires that any covered employee who tests positive (fails) be evaluated by a Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) and undergo a treatment program. The evaluation is paid for by the County, but the employee is responsible for paying for the treatment program. Treatment programs may be covered under an employee’s personal health insurance.
  • Following successful completion of a treatment program, the employee is required to undergo an initial return-to-duty testing

Follow-up Testing for Those That Tested Positive

  • DOT requires that covered employees who test positive (fail) be evaluated by an SAP and undergo a treatment program.
  • Following successful completion of a treatment program, the employee is required to undergo an initial return-to-duty testing.
  • In addition, the covered employee is required to undergo frequent, unannounced drug and alcohol testing for a period of one to five years as determined by the SAP.
  • The follow-up testing is a separate process and is in addition to the other drug and alcohol tests that the County may require.

Employees who refuse to submit to alcohol or drug testing required under this policy or who refuse to cooperate with testing procedures may be subject to disciplinary action, including termination.

If the employee tests positive, it is the department liaison’s responsibility to remove them from the safety-sensitive function immediately.

-- Back To Top --

Roles and Responsibilities of Risk Management and Departmental Liaisons

  1. Designated Employer Representative (DER)-Risk Management Unit
    • Manage the County’s Drug and Alcohol Testing Program and update the policy and/or procedure to reflect amendments to the federal regulation.
    • Act as the County-authorized DOT representative. He/she shall:
      • Provide a current list of covered employees to the vendor (ALERE) for the random testing selection process.
      • Receive the test results and other communications from outside agencies including, but not limited to, random testing vendors, Medical Review Officer (MRO), and Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) and distribute them to the appropriate Agency/Department Liaison.
      • Notify and work with Agency/Department Liaison to remove covered employees from safety-sensitive duties if any test is positive (fails).
      • Respond to any problems or issue that may arise during the testing process.
      • Maintain confidentiality of all information and documents.
  2. Agency/Department Liaison
    • Follow Alameda County Drug and Alcohol policy and procedures.
    • Maintain a current list of all covered employees and provide it to the DER at the beginning of each calendar quarter.
    • Notify the selected employee of the test and provide him/her with the Employee Clinic Passport form (attached) on the day of the testing.
    • If an employee tests positive (fails) work with DER to remove the employee from the safety-sensitive function.
    • Maintain confidentiality of all information and documents.

-- Back To Top --

Key Terms and Definitions

  • MEDICAL REVIEW OFFICER (MRO) A licensed physician (medical doctor or doctor of osteopathy) responsible for receiving laboratory results generated by an employer’s drug testing program who has knowledge of substance abuse disorders and has appropriate medical training to interpret and evaluate an individual’s confirmed positive test results together with his or her medical history and any other relevant biomedical information.
  • PROHIBITED DRUGS: marijuana, cocaine, opiates, amphetamines, or phencyclidine (PCP).
  • REFUSUAL TO SUBMIT TO A REQURED DRUG TEST includes failure to appear for any test within a reasonable time, failure to remain at the collection site until the testing process is complete, refusal to provide a urine specimen for a required drug test, failure to permit a directly observed or monitored collection when required, failure to provide a sufficient amount of urine without a medical explanation, failure to take a second test when required by a collector or this employer, failure to undergo a medical examination following inability to provide a sufficient urine sample, and failure to cooperate with the collection/testing process (including refusing to empty pockets at the collection site).
  • SUBSTANCE ABUSE PROFESSIONAL (SAP) is a licensed physician or licensed or certified psychologist, social worker, employee assistance professional, or addiction counselor with knowledge of and clinical experience in the diagnosis and treatment of drug and alcohol-related disorders.

More key terms are defined in Appendix I of the Alameda County DOT Drug and Alcohol Testing Program Guidelines (PDF - 495kb)* and in the Introduction to the FMCSA guidelines.

-- Back To Top --