What is a SAP (Substance Abuse Professional) Evaluation?
When an employee violates the U.S. Department of Transportation Drug and Alcohol Regulations the Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) provides face-to-face initial and follow-up evaluations of the employee and makes recommendations concerning education, treatment, follow-up testing, and continuing care.
Who is qualified to provide SAP services?
In order to qualify as a SAP, an individual must first have one of the following credentials:National level certification in addiction counseling through NAADAC Certification Commission or the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium, Masters Addiction Counselor (MAC) certification through the National Board of Certified Counselors, or be a licensed Physician, a licensed or certified Psychologist, a licensed or certified Social Worker, a licensed or certified Employee Assistance Professional, or a licensed or certified Marriage and Family Therapist. Then the individual must take an approved 12-hour Substance Abuse Professional’s U.S. DOT Alcohol and Drug Testing Regulation Qualification and Re-Qualification Course and pass the qualification examination. SAPs are required to recertify every 3 years.
What happens when a DOT regulated employee is referred for SAP services?
First, the employee has a face-to-face evaluation with the SAP. This evaluation includes a clinical interview and administration of one or more screening tools (such as the SASSI-4, the DAST, the MAST, etc.) Then the SAP determines the appropriate education and/or treatment the employee needs to successfully complete before the employee can return to safety-sensitive duty. (DOT regulations require that an employee who violates drug and alcohol testing rules to participate in education and/or treatment. The SAP determines what type of education and/or treatment is appropriate.) After the employee has successfully completed the recommended education and/or treatment, he/she must return to the SAP for a face-to-face follow-up evaluation. During this evaluation, the SAP well determine compliance with the initial recommendations and make recommendations about the employee’s return to safety-sensitive duty, follow-up education and/or treatment, and follow-up testing.
Why is an employee referred for a SAP evaluation?
A DOT regulated employee is referred for a SAP evaluation when he/she tests positive on a DOT regulated drug and/or alcohol test. The following are reasons that an employee might be required to take a DOT regulated drug and/or alcohol test:
- Pre-employment testing
- Post-accident/incident testing
- Random testing
- Reasonable cause/suspicion testing
- Return-to-duty testing
- Follow-up testing
Many non-DOT employers also require employees to obtain SAP services when they violate company drug and alcohol policies. The non-DOT SAP services and recommendations comply with company drug and alcohol policies.
What types of employees are covered under DOT Testing Regulations?
- Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees: flight crewmembers, flight attendants, flight instructors, aircraft dispatchers, aircraft maintenance or preventive maintenance employees, ground security coordinators, aviation screeners, air traffic controllers, and operations control specialists.
- Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) employees: individuals who operate (i.e. drive) commercial motor vehicles (CMV) with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) or 26,001 or more pounds, or are designated to transport 16 or more occupants (including the driver), or are used to transport hazardous materials that require the vehicle to be placarded.
- Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) employees: locomotive engineers, trainmen, conductors, switchmen, locomotive hostlers/helpers, utility employees, signalmen, operators, and train dispatchers.
- Federal Transit Administration (FTA) employees: individuals who perform revenue vehicle operation, revenue vehicle and equipment maintenance, revenue vehicle control or dispatch, Commercial Drivers License non-revenue vehicle operation, or armed security duties.
- Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) employees: individuals who perform operation, maintenance, or emergency-response functions on a pipeline or liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility.
- United States Coast Guard (USCG) employees: individuals who work on board a private vessel or a U.S. owned vesselacting under the authority of a license, certificate of registry, or merchant mariner’s document.