[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 2 (Monday, January 5, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Page 389]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-95]



[[Page 389]]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Prevention of Alcohol Misuse and Prohibited Drug Use in Transit 
Operations

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of random drug and alcohol testing rates.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the random testing rates for employers 
subject to the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) drug and alcohol 
rules.

EFFECTIVE DATE: January 1, 2004.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jerry Fisher, Drug and Alcohol Program 
Manager for the Office of Safety and Security, (202) 366-2896 
(telephone) and (202) 366-7951 (fax). Electronic access to this and 
other documents concerning FTA's drug and alcohol testing rules may be 
obtained through the FTA World Wide Web home page at http://www.fta.dot.gov, click on ``Safety and Security.''

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FTA required large transit employers to 
begin drug and alcohol testing employees performing safety-sensitive 
functions on January 1, 1995, and to report, annually by March 15 of 
each year beginning in 1996, the number of such employees who had a 
verified positive for the use of prohibited drugs, and the number of 
such employees who tested positive for the misuse of alcohol. Small 
employers commenced their FTA-required testing on January 1, 1996, and 
began reporting the same information as the large employers beginning 
March 15, 1997. The 1994 rules, which were updated on August 1, 2001, 
established a random testing rate for prohibited drugs and the misuse 
of alcohol.
    The rules require that employers conduct random drug tests at a 
rate equivalent to at least 50 percent of their total number of safety-
sensitive employees for prohibited drug use and at least 25 percent of 
the misuse of alcohol. The rules provide that the drug random testing 
rate may be lowered to 25 percent if the ``positive rate'' for the 
entire transit industry is less than one percent for two preceding 
consecutive years. Once lowered, it may be raised to 50 percent if the 
positive rate equals or exceeds one percent for any one year 
(``positive rate'' means the number of positive results for random drug 
tests conducted under part 655.45 plus the number of refusals of random 
tests required by part 655.49, divided by the total number of random 
drug tests, plus the number of refusals of random tests required by 
part 655.)
    The alcohol provisions provide that the random rate may be lowered 
to 10 percent if the ``violation rate'' for the entire transit industry 
is less than .5 percent for two consecutive years. It will remain at 25 
percent if the ``violation rate'' is equal to or greater than .5 
percent but less than one percent, and it will be raised to 50 percent 
if the ``violation rate'' is one percent or greater for any one year. 
(``violation rate'' means the number of covered employees found during 
random tests given under part 655.45 to have an alcohol concentration 
of .04 or greater, plus the number of employees who refuse a random 
test required by part 655.49, divided by the total reported number of 
random alcohol tests plus the total number of refusals of random tests 
required by part 655.)
    In 2003, the FTA required a random drug testing rate of 50 percent 
of the total number of their ``safety-sensitive'' employees for 
prohibited drugs based on the ``positive rate'' for random drug test 
data from 2000 and 2001. FTA has received and analyzed the 2002 data 
from a representative sample of transit employers. Because the random 
drug rate was not lower than 1.0 percent for the two preceding 
consecutive years (0.89 percent for 2001 and 1.05 percent for 2002), 
the random drug testing rate will remain at 50 percent for 2004.
    In 2003, the FTA retained the random alcohol testing rate of 10 
percent (reduced previously from 25 percent) based on the ``positive 
rate'' for random alcohol test data from 2000 and 2001. Because the 
random alcohol violation rate was again lower than .5 percent for the 
two preceding consecutive years (0.19 percent for 2001 and 0.22 for 
2002), the random alcohol testing rate will remain at 10 percent for 
2004.
    FTA detailed reports on the drug and alcohol testing data collected 
from transit employers may be obtained from the Office of Safety and 
Security, Federal Transit Administration, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Room 
9301, Washington, DC 20590, (202) 366-2896 or at http://transit-safety.volpe.dot.gov/Publications.

    Issued on: December 30, 2003.
Jennifer L. Dorn,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 04-95 Filed 1-2-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-57-M