The Alaska Contractor - Spring 2011 - Keep Trees

BEACON/WORKSAFE
The role of Designated
Employer Representative
Many industry professionals
know the role of designated
employer representative is
a person working within a company
managing the drug and alcohol testing
program on behalf of their employer.
This person is tabbed with being “in the
know” on matters related to the company’s
testing programs. Their responsibilities
are vast, variant and essential
to the overall success of any company
drug and alcohol testing program.
Knowing all companies do not deal
with Department of Transportation
compliance matters, but asserting that
most companies deal with compliance at
some level (international law, state laws
and statutes, union agreements, contract
requirements, etc.) there is great value
in identifying ways the role of the DER
can be supported by their employers
and third-party service providers (i.e.
Beacon). Some helpful tips include:
Encourage Proper Selection of
the DER Role
There is no perfect model to fi t
the role of DER, but a company’s best
chance at success in managing a drug
and alcohol testing program is to select
the right fi t and invest in that person.
The learning curve is substantial, highly
variable information exists which they
are responsible for understanding and
they must have the ability to communicate
information throughout the
organization. Therefore, the DER role
needs stability coupled with longevity.
Keep that in mind when deciding the
best fi t to serve as the DER.
Know What Applies
Each company/DER must identify
which rules apply to them. This can be
a very simple identifi cation process for
some, but very complicated for others.
Some companies have multiple DOT
modes to comply with, work in different
states with variable state laws and have
several different contract requirements
to manage. Comprehensive understanding
of your needs and objectives
is critical to program success. Within
industry it is often discovered that
companies have specifi c obligations for
compliance purposes but are unaware
of the requirements either partially or in
entirety. It is important to encourage the
employer/DER to know what resources
are available to assist in this arduous
process, as the result of non-compliance
can sometimes mean fi nes, loss of
contracts and loss of company revenue.
Understand the Company Policies
Many third-party providers give
template plans to clients for their own
private use. The intent is to assist the
employer with policy development and
to ensure the policies contain all necessary
information. However, simply
obtaining a template plan is not enough.
Service providers and employers/DERs
should discuss pertinent components
of the plan to ensure understanding.
This open style dialogue will increase
the likelihood the program policies will
refl ect current needs, ensure comprehension
and the overall program will
be managed effectively. As the DER,
you must have a strong grasp of the
company policies to appropriately
manage the program. Remember, policies
are living documents that must
change regularly to refl ect the current
needs of the company.
Self Audit
Periodically (I suggest annually)
an employer/DER needs to review the
policy and records of the company.
This process is to ensure the objectives
of the program are being met.
Many organizations which utilize
BY CH R I S WI L L I A M S
self-auditing as a regular practice fi nd
there are fewer surprises when primary
focus is placed upon their program. A
brief but focused audit can really alleviate
future issues and is an invaluable
experience for the DER participating.
Third-party services to audit employer
programs are available upon request.
Back to School
Industry associations provide
several education opportunities a DER
can participate in. A new trend in recent
years has been the creation of specifi c
DER education curriculums geared
at tooling DERs for success within
their position. Promoting continuing
education opportunities to DERs and
gaining participation furthers the
needed education effort. Industry as
a whole greatly benefi ts from DER
involvement and the company will
enjoy further programmatic success by
having an educated DER at the helm
of their respective program.
The current societal landscape in
regards to drug and alcohol use and
misuse is ever changing and very
complex. A workplace reality is that these
problems manifest in our dynamics
every day. A drug and alcohol testing
program is a tool utilized by employers
to combat drug and alcohol abuse/
misuse in the workplace. Correlation
exists between an effective program
and a well managed one. It is encouraged
to have the right person in the
role of the DER; overall programmatic
effectiveness is at stake.
Chris Williams is director of drug
and alcohol testing services for Beacon/
WorkSafe, a full third-party administrator
of drug and alcohol testing services
offering comprehensive program support
to employers nationwide.
Spring 2011 The Alaska conTrAcTor 69