[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 235 (Friday, December 8, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Page 58047]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-26484]



[[Page 58047]]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

[Docket ID PHMSA-2018-0137]


Pipeline Safety: Random Drug Testing Rate; Contractor Management 
Information System Reporting; and Obtaining Drug and Alcohol Management 
Information System Sign-In Information

AGENCY: Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), 
DOT.

ACTION: Notice of Calendar Year 2018 Minimum Annual Percentage Rate for 
Random Drug Testing; Reminder for Operators to Report Contractor MIS 
Data; and Reminder of Method for Operators to Obtain User Name and 
Password for Electronic Reporting.

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SUMMARY: PHMSA has determined that the minimum random drug testing rate 
for all covered employees will be 50 percent during calendar year 2018. 
Operators are reminded that drug and alcohol testing information must 
be submitted for contractors performing or ready to perform covered 
functions. For calendar year 2017 reporting, PHMSA will not attempt to 
mail the ``user name'' and ``password'' for the Drug and Alcohol 
Management Information System (DAMIS) to operators, but will make the 
user name and password available in the PHMSA Portal (https://portal.phmsa.dot.gov/pipeline).

DATES: Effective January 1, 2018, through December 31, 2018.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Wayne Lemoi, Drug & Alcohol Program 
Manager, at 909-937-7232 or by email at [email protected] or Blaine 
Keener, Director of Safety Data Systems and Analysis, at 202-366-0970 
or by email at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Notice of Calendar Year 2018 Minimum Annual Percentage Rate for Random 
Drug Testing

    Operators of gas, hazardous liquid, and carbon dioxide pipelines 
and operators of liquefied natural gas facilities must randomly select 
and test a percentage of all covered employees for prohibited drug use. 
Pursuant to 49 CFR 199.105(c)(1) the PHMSA minimum annual random drug 
testing rate shall be 50 percent of all covered employees for calendar 
year 2018.
    While the minimum annual random drug testing rate was 25 percent of 
all covered employees for calendar year 2017, paragraph 49 CFR 
199.105(c)(4) requires the Administrator to raise the minimum annual 
random drug testing rate from 25 percent to 50 percent of all covered 
employees when the data obtained from the Management Information System 
(MIS) reports required by Sec.  199.119(a) indicate the positive test 
rate is equal to or greater than 1 percent. In calendar year 2016, the 
random drug test positive rate was greater than 1 percent. Therefore, 
the PHMSA minimum annual random drug testing rate shall be 50 percent 
of all covered employees for calendar year 2018.

Reminder for Operators To Report Contractor MIS Data

    On January 19, 2010, PHMSA published an Advisory Bulletin (75 FR 
2926) implementing the annual collection of contractor MIS drug and 
alcohol testing data. An operator's report to PHMSA is not considered 
complete until an MIS report is submitted for each contractor that 
performed covered functions as defined in Sec.  199.3.

Reminder of Method for Operators To Obtain User Name and Password for 
Electronic Reporting

    In previous years, PHMSA attempted to mail the DAMIS user name and 
password to operator staff with responsibility for submitting DAMIS 
reports. Based on the number of phone calls to PHMSA each year 
requesting this information, the mailing process has not been 
effective. Pipeline operators have been submitting reports required by 
Parts 191 and 195 through the PHMSA Portal (https://portal.phmsa.dot.gov/pipeline) since 2011. Each company with an Office 
of Pipeline Safety issued Operator Identification Number should employ 
staff with access to the PHMSA Portal.
    The user name and password required for an operator to access DAMIS 
and enter calendar year 2017 data will be available to all staff with 
access to the PHMSA Portal in late December 2017. When the DAMIS user 
name and password are available in the PHMSA Portal, all registered 
users will receive an email to that effect. Operator staff with 
responsibility for submitting DAMIS reports should coordinate with 
registered PHMSA Portal users to obtain the DAMIS user name and 
password. Registered PHMSA Portal users for an operator typically 
include the U.S. Department of Transportation Compliance Officer and 
staff or consultants with responsibility for submitting annual and 
incident reports on PHMSA F 7000- and 7100-series forms.
    For operators that have failed to register staff in the PHMSA 
Portal for Parts 191 and 195 reporting purposes, operator staff 
responsible for submitting DAMIS reports can register in the PHMSA 
Portal by following the instructions at: http://opsweb.phmsa.dot.gov/portal_message/PHMSA_Portal_Registration.pdf.
    Pursuant to Sec. Sec.  199.119(a) and 199.229(a), operators with 50 
or more covered employees, including both operator and contractor 
staff, are required to submit DAMIS reports annually. Operators with 
less than 50 total covered employees are required to report only upon 
written request from PHMSA. If an operator has submitted a calendar 
year 2015 or later DAMIS report with less than 50 total covered 
employees, the PHMSA Portal message may state that no calendar year 
2017 DAMIS report is required. Some of these operators may have grown 
to more than 50 covered employees during calendar year 2017. The PHMSA 
Portal message will include instructions for how these operators can 
obtain a calendar year 2017 DAMIS user name and password.

    Issued in Washington, DC on December 1, 2017, under authority 
delegated in 49 CFR 1.97.
Alan K. Mayberry,
Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety.
[FR Doc. 2017-26484 Filed 12-7-17; 8:45 am]
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