Response provided by Linda Spacek, Director of Human Resources:
The contract for Alcohol and Drug Testing services is used to meet the testing requirements outlined in the City’s Drug and Alcohol policy which comply with US Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations. These policies are also followed for safety sensitive positions which regularly include driving, working with children, security and weapons. This also provides compliance with the drug free workplace act, which is required for federal grants.
The testing process includes the collection facility collecting a split specimen and sending it to a certified lab by Department of Health and Human Services under the National Laboratory Certification Program - in this case Premier ER &Urgent Care in San Marcos. If a drug is detected in an employee’s specimen, the split specimen is sent to a certified lab for a GCMS analysis. The employee is contacted by a medical review officer regarding the results and whether the employee has a current prescription for the drug.
Any employee who believes they have an alcohol or illegal drug “problem” may self-identify and receive assistance and complete a return to duty process from our Employee Assistance program at any time except when being identified for testing or following a positive test. Once an employee tests positive we have a zero tolerance policy. We do believe that for this group of safety sensitive employees, this policy has been effective.
Police Officers and 911 TCO’s are in safety sensitive positions and are included in Drug and Alcohol Testing program.