Designated Employer Representative (DER)

Employee | Supervisor | DER | SAP | C-SAPA | BAT | CSP | STT | MRO-C | MRO-A

 

DOT-regulated employers are not currently required to conduct specific DER education or training.  That does not preclude the DOT-regulated employer or any other employer from being held liable (e.g., DOT audits, criminal/civil actions, etc.) for actions or inactions concerning employment-related substance abuse. 

At a minimum, DOT-regulated employers should ensure that each DER is thoroughly familiar with relevant DOT regs (including 49 CFR Part 40, and agency-specific regs included in Section 5 of Drug Screens Plus model programs).  In addition, Section 2 of each model program (DOT and non-DOT) contains Supervisor Information indexed by subject to help you pin-point specific information.

SAPAA (Substance Abuse Program Administrators Association) added a DER course last year, and other courses (including on-line courses) are becoming available.  Reading all of the material on this site would probably put you far ahead of many DERs…but is still a long ways short of covering the full breadth of material with which the DER is expected to be knowledgeable. 

This is another area in which a good TPA (like Drug Screens Plus) can play an invaluable role.  Often, the particular area in which a DER needs immediate assistance is one of those “I’ve never run into this before!” situations.  Because we work with over 1400 different employers, process tens of thousands of tests per year, and have 4 {C-SAPA}, {MRO-C}, and {A-MRO} certified staff members (each with 20-25 years experience), Drug Screens Plus is uniquely prepared to provide you with a level of assistance that would be difficult to find in the vast majority of TPA services.  We encourage clients to give us a call whenever a question or unusual situation arises.

How can I tap into this resource of highly qualified and experienced people?
Contact Jim Carlyle at 800-459-9012 xt 787.