U.S. Department of Transportation Expands Drug Testing Policy to Include Opioids The U.S. Department of Transportation (D.O.T.) has new rules in effect this year that impacts safety-sensitive employees taking federally mandated D.O.T. drug tests. These additions include workers in the commercial motor carrier, aviation, maritime, railroad, transit, and pipeline industries.

Key Changes Now in Effect: 

• Adding four semi-synthetic opioids to the list of substances they test for: oxycodone, oxymorphone, hydrocodone, and hydromorphone (commonly known as: OxyContin, Percodan, Vicodin, Percocet, Dilaudid, Norco, Lortab, Exalgo).
• Removing methylenedioxyethylamphetamine (MDEA)
• Adding methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) as an initial test analyte
• Blind specimen submission is no longer required
• Adds three additional fatal flaws to the list of reasons why a laboratory may report a "rejected for testing" specimen. 

While some employers already test for these substances in their own drug testing programs, the new requirement aligns their current practices with the Department of Health and Senior Services Mandatory Guidelines for federal drug testing programs.

The new rule will not only improve workplace and public safety, but will also be a way to battle the current opioid epidemic.

According to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao, “The ability to test for a broader range of opioids will advance transportation safety significantly and provide another deterrence to opioid abuse, which will better protect the public and ultimately save lives.”

In 2016, over 42,000 people in the United States died from opioid overdose, including 908 Missourians.

"We need to be honest and clear about the scale of what we are up against: Opioids are a modern plague," said Missouri Governor Eric Greitens when he kicked off the #MoFightsOpioids campaign last year. "Like the plague, opioids kill the young, the old, the healthy, the sick, the virtuous and the sinful. There's not a corner of our state that hasn't been visited by this curse. There is no single program, or law, or executive order that can fix this crisis. This program is a step—and it's a big step.”

For resources and more information on the Missouri opioid crisis, visit opioids.mo.gov. 

Click here for more details about the updates to DOT'49 CFR Part 40 drug testing programs.

New Workplace Fatality Statistics Released by Missouri Division of Workers' Compensation & U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 

According to the Missouri Department of Workers’ Compensation, 118 Missourians were killed on the job in 2017. 

As of March 22, there have been 17 work-related fatalities reported in 2018. It is a primary goal of the Missouri Department of Labor & Industrial Relations to continue to eliminate workplace fatalities. 

**2017 Statistics as reported to the Missouri Division of Workers' Compensation

For more tools and resources to help your business develop a new safety and health program to prevent injuries and fatalities, visit labor.mo.gov/safe.

Latest Federal Workplace Fatality Statistics

According to the latest national data available, 5,190 workers died on the job in the United States in 2016. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this is the highest level since 2008.

Other National Injury Trends to Note: 

• Transportation related fatalities remain the most common fatal occupational event; 
• Deaths among workers 55-year-old and older are the highest they have been since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking the information in 1992; 
• Fatal injuries among leisure and hospitality workers are increasing;  
• Fatal injuries in the mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction industries have decreased.