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Post-Incident and Accident Testing with CannAmm

Post-Incident and Accident Testing with CannAmm

 

The information you need when determining cause.

What is Post-Incident Testing

Post-incident testing refers to drug testing after an accident or near-miss at work. The conditions that cause an incident to trigger post-incident testing will vary and are dependent on the individual employer’s drug and alcohol policy and whether or not the employee falls under DOT post-accident testing.

When a workplace injury occurs when an employee is carrying out their regular job duties, an employer may mandate (or federal regulations may demand) that the employee, or employees, involved in the incident be subjected to a drug test after a work injury. 

Whether or not an injury or other loss results from the incident is relevant only if it is included in the company’s drug and alcohol policy. Another thing to consider is that there is normally a specific window of time that the testing must take place in that is relative to the time the incident occurred.

Post-incident drug testing (also called post-accident drug testing) is done when an incident that cannot be explained through mechanical failure occurs in the workplace. This is of special concern if the employee in question is working in a safety-sensitive position. By performing drug and alcohol testing as soon as possible after the incident, your company has important information to use as a tool when analyzing the causes of workplace accidents.

Safety Considerations for Testing

Another critical piece to include in a drug-testing program should be a plan to keep employees safe throughout the testing process. If you have an employee who is potentially impaired by drugs and/or alcohol, you never want to put that employee or any other employee in an unsafe situation. 

Employers should always avoid asking a potentially impaired employee to transport themselves to an off-site testing facility or a clinic because this could be a very unsafe request. The best options are having an on-call motor carrier service available, having trained employees available that can perform the testing on-site using instant testing kits, or to call a transportation service.

How Post-Accident Testing Works

  • Post-accident drug and alcohol testing should only be done when the employee’s actions or lack of actions have contributed to the cause of the incident.
  • If your manager or supervisor believes that post-incident drug testing is required, contact us immediately. We will arrange for testing as soon as possible at a collection site near you and notify you if an employee tested positive.
  • The employee should always be escorted to the collection facility by an accompanying supervisor.

We have more than 4,000 collection sites across Canada and the U.S. and a dedicated after-hours/emergency testing line so we can swing into action as soon as you need us. A qualified Medical Review Officer (MRO) verifies all non-negative results and we are fully accountable for our results.

Due to the time-sensitive nature of this type of testing, please call us at 1.800.440.0023, select option 3, to book a testing appointment.