The Transportation Department has announced new rules for drug testing
required as a safety precaution of millions of transportation workers. The
changes are intended in part to protect workers' rights, according to a
department release.
The most significant changes, released Thursday, involve ``validity
testing,'' which is meant to detect specimens that have been adulterated or
substituted. The rule extends to validity testing the two standard safeguards
already in place that protect a worker who tests positive for ``drugs of
abuse,'' such as cocaine, heroin or marijuana.
In the first protection, a physician, hired by the employer, will review
test results when a lab indicates the specimen may have been tampered with or
substituted. The physician would have the power to cancel the finding of
tampering if that result comes from a legitimate medical reason.
In the second case, an employee also can have a different laboratory test a
second sample of his or her specimen to make sure the original lab did not
make an error.
The government requires drug testing of millions of transportation
employees, such as railroad workers, airline mechanics and flight crews, and
bus drivers.
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