§ 219.501 Pre-employment drug testing. ( a ) Before an individual performs regulated service the first time for a railroad, the railroad must ensure that the individual undergoes testing for drugs in accordance with the regulations of a DOT agency. No railroad may allow a direct employee (a railroad employee who is not employed by a contractor to the railroad) to perform regulated service, unless that railroad has conducted a DOT pre-employment test for drugs on that individual with a result that did not indicate the misuse of controlled substance. This requirement applies both to a final applicant for direct employment and to a direct employee seeking to transfer for the first time from non-regulated service to duties involving regulated service. A regulated employee must have a negative DOT pre-employment drug test for each railroad for which he or she performs regulated service as the result of a direct employment relationship.
( b ) Each railroad must ensure that each employee of a contractor who performs regulated service on the railroad's behalf has a negative DOT pre-employment drug test on file with his or her employer. The railroad must also maintain documentation indicating that it had verified that the contractor employee had a negative DOT pre-employment drug test on file with his or her direct employer. A contractor employee who performs regulated service for more than one railroad does not need to have a DOT pre-employment drug test for each railroad for which he or she provides service.
( c ) If a railroad has already conducted a DOT pre-employment test resulting in a negative for a regulated service applicant under the rules and regulations of another DOT agency (such as the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration), FRA will accept the result of that negative DOT pre-employment test for purposes of the requirements of this subpart.
( d ) As used in subpart H of this part with respect to a test required under this subpart, the term regulated employee includes an applicant for pre-employment testing only. If an applicant declines to be tested and withdraws an application for employment before the pre-employment testing process commences, no record may be maintained of the declination.
( e ) ( 1 ) The pre-employment drug testing requirements of this section do not apply to: ( i ) Covered employees of railroads qualifying for the small railroad exception (see § 219.3(c)) who were performing regulated service for the qualifying railroad, or a contractor or subcontractor of a qualifying railroad, before June 12, 2017;
( ii ) Maintenance-of-way employees who were performing regulated service for a railroad, or a contractor or subcontractor of a railroad, before June 12, 2017; or
( iii ) MECH employees who were performing regulated service for a railroad, or contractor or subcontractor of a railroad, before March 4, 2022.
( 2 ) An exempted employee under paragraph (e)(1) of this section must have a negative pre-employment drug test before performing regulated service for a new or additional employing railroad, or contractor or subcontractor of a railroad: ( i ) On or after June 12, 2017, for exempted covered employees and maintenance-of-way employees, and
( ii ) On or after March 4, 2022 for MECH employees.
( f ) A railroad, or contractor or subcontractor of a railroad, must comply with 49 CFR 40.25 by performing a records check on any of its MOW or MECH employees who have been exempted from pre-employment testing before the employee first performs regulated service. An employee may not perform regulated service after 30 days from the date on which the employee first performed regulated service, unless this information has been obtained or a good faith effort to obtain this information has been made and documented.
[81 FR 37936, June 10, 2016, as amended at 87 FR 5735, Feb. 2, 2022]