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Transportation Safety & Compliance
Understanding the Role of a Substance Abuse Professional
Learn how SAP professionals protect public safety by evaluating employees who violate DOT drug and alcohol regulations. Discover their responsibilities, purpose, and the federal guidelines that ensure compliance in safety-sensitive industries.
What is a SAP?
The Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) is a person who evaluates employees who have violated a DOT drug and alcohol program regulation. SAP professionals will provide a substance abuse evaluation to make recommendations for the course of treatment, education, follow-up testing and/or aftercare. As a SAP, you represent the major decision point (and in some cases, the only decision point) an employer may have in choosing whether or not to place an employee behind the steering wheel of a school bus, in the cockpit of a plane, at the helm of an oil tanker, at the throttle of a train, in the engineering compartment of a subway car, or at the emergency control valves of a natural gas pipeline. Your responsibility to the public is enormous!
What is the purpose of a SAP?
The SAP’s role is to protect public safety related to transportation employers and employees in safety-sensitive positions.As a SAP, you advocate for neither the employer nor the employee. Your function is to protect the public interest in safety by professionally evaluating the employee and recommending appropriate education and/or treatment, follow-up tests, and aftercare.
A SAP must understand alcohol and drug regulations for these six industries.
FMCSA – Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration
FAA – Federal Aviation Administration
FRA – Federal Railroad Administration
FTA – Federal Transit Authority
USCG – United States Coast Guard
PHMSA – Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.
A SAP should be familiar with 49 CFR Part 40 while paying particular attention to the Subparts O-R:
• Subpart O – Substance Abuse Professional and Return-to-Duty Process
• Subpart P – Confidentiality and Release of Information
• Subpart Q – Roles and Responsibilities of Service Agents
• Subpart R – Public Interest Exclusions
• Appendix E to Part 40 – SAP Equivalency Requirements for Certification Organization
What are the Department of Transportation (DOT) Guidelines for drug and alcohol testing?
The Department of Transportation (DOT), in compliance with The Omnibus Transportation Employee Testing Act of 1991, requires drug and alcohol testing of safety-sensitive transportation employees. Safety-sensitive employees are required to submit to drug and alcohol testing to maintain their safety-sensitive status under 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 40.