Title 49
SECTION 219.11
219.11 General conditions for chemical tests.
§ 219.11 General conditions for chemical tests.(a)(1) Any regulated employee who is subject to performing regulated service for a railroad is deemed to have consented to testing as required in subparts B, C, D, E, F, G, and K of this part.
(2) A regulated employee required to participate in alcohol and/or drug testing under this part must be on duty and subject to performing regulated service when the specimen collection is initiated and the alcohol testing/urine specimen collection is conducted (with the exception of pre-employment testing under subpart F of this part).
(b)(1) Each regulated employee must participate in such testing, as required under the conditions set forth in this part and implemented by a representative of the railroad or employing contractor.
(2) In any case where an employee is suffering a substantiated medical emergency and is subject to alcohol or drug testing under this part, necessary medical treatment must be accorded priority over provision of the breath or body fluid specimen(s). A medical emergency is an acute medical condition requiring immediate medical care. A railroad may require an employee to substantiate a medical emergency by providing verifiable documentation from a credible outside professional (e.g., doctor, dentist, hospital, or law enforcement officer) substantiating the medical emergency within a reasonable period of time.
(3) Failure to remain available following an accident or casualty as required by company rules (i.e., being absent without leave) is considered a refusal to participate in testing, without regard to any subsequent provision of specimens.
(c) A regulated employee who is required to be tested under subparts C, D, or E of this part and who is taken to a medical facility for observation or treatment after an accident or incident is deemed to have consented to the release to FRA of the following:
(1) The remaining portion of any body fluid specimen taken by the medical facility within 12 hours of the accident or incident that is not required for medical purposes, together with any normal medical facility record(s) pertaining to the taking of such specimen;
(2) The results of any laboratory tests for alcohol or any drug conducted by or for the medical facility on such specimen;
(3) The identity, dosage, and time of administration of any drugs administered by the medical facility before the time specimens were taken by the medical facility or before the time specimens were taken in compliance with this part; and
(4) The results of any breath tests for alcohol conducted by or for the medical facility.
(d) Any person required to participate in body fluid testing under subpart C of this part (post-accident toxicological testing) shall, if requested by a representative of the railroad or the medical facility, evidence consent to the taking of specimens, their release for toxicological analysis under pertinent provisions of this part, and release of the test results to the railroad's Medical Review Officer by promptly executing a consent form, if required by the medical facility. A regulated employee is not required to execute any document or clause waiving rights that the employee would otherwise have against the railroad, and any such waiver is void. The employee may not be required to waive liability with respect to negligence on the part of any person participating in the collection, handling or analysis of the specimen or to indemnify any person for the negligence of others. Any consent provided consistent with this section may be construed to extend only to those actions specified in this section.
(e)(1) A regulated employee who is notified of selection for testing under this part must cease to perform his or her assigned duties and proceed to the testing site either immediately or as soon as possible without adversely affecting safety.
(2) A railroad must ensure that the absence of a regulated employee from his or her assigned duties to report for testing does not adversely affect safety.
(3) Nothing in this part may be construed to authorize the use of physical coercion or any other deprivation of liberty to compel breath or body fluid testing.
(f) Any employee performing duties for a railroad who is involved in a qualifying accident or incident described in subpart C of this part, and who dies within 12 hours of that accident or incident as the result thereof, is deemed to have consented to the removal of body fluid and/or tissue specimens necessary for toxicological analysis from the remains of such person, and this consent is implied by the performance of duties for the railroad (i.e., a consent form is not required). This consent provision applies to all employees performing duties for a railroad, and not just regulated employees.
(g) Each supervisor responsible for regulated employees (except a working supervisor who is a co-worker as defined in § 219.5) must be trained in the signs and symptoms of alcohol and drug influence, intoxication, and misuse consistent with a program of instruction to be made available for inspection upon demand by FRA. Such a program shall, at a minimum, provide information concerning the acute behavioral and apparent physiological effects of alcohol, the major drug groups on the controlled substances list, and other impairing drugs. The program must also provide training on the qualifying criteria for post-accident toxicological testing contained in subpart C of this part, and the role of the supervisor in post-accident collections described in subpart C and appendix C of this part.
(h) Nothing in this subpart restricts any discretion available to the railroad to request or require that a regulated employee cooperate in additional breath or body fluid testing. However, no such testing may be performed on urine or blood specimens provided under this part. For purposes of this paragraph (h), all urine from a void constitutes a single specimen.
(i) A railroad required or authorized to conduct testing under this part may conduct all such testing in the United States. A foreign railroad required to conduct testing under this part may conduct such tests in its home country, provided that it otherwise complies with the requirements of this part.
[66 FR 41973, Aug. 9, 2001, as amended at 69 FR 19288, Apr. 12, 2004; 81 FR 37926, June 10, 2016]