Post-Accident Drug and Alcohol Testing
Attentive Safety Drug and Alcohol Testing provides Post-Accident Drug and Alcohol Testing at over 10,000 Drug and Alcohol Testing Centers Nationwide.

When accidents occur on the job, it is often crucial to know whether drugs were involved. While employers should not assume that drugs were the cause of an accident or injury, Post-Accident Drug and Alcohol Testing can help make a determination about how the issue should be handled.
As with annual and random drug tests, each division of the US Department of Transportation (DOT) has specific protocols for the use of post-accident drug testing. Transportation is a safety-sensitive industry where employees operate commercial motor vehicles – accidents can be dangerous and can cause property damage, injuries and fatalities, so ruling out the use of drugs or alcohol as a cause is imperative.
For DOT-compliant businesses, one of these three conditions generally must be met to conduct a post-accident test:
The construction industry is also safety-sensitive, and consistently ranks among the highest of all industries in illicit drug and alcohol use. For these reasons, many construction companies opt to perform drug testing, and research has shown that having a drug-free program reduces injury rates in the construction industry. Post-accident testing can be an especially useful method for discovering the underlying cause of worksite accidents.
The period of time between the incident and a post-accident drug test should be minimal, especially when testing for alcohol. In general, alcohol testing should occur less than 2 hours and no more than 8 hours after the accident. Drug testing should occur within 32 hours.
Employers may also be able to better defend against Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) citations given after an accident as a result of the employee’s impairment. If the employer is diligent about pre-employment, random, and other types of drug tests, and a post-accident test reveals the employee’s drug use, the employer is usually not liable.
As with annual and random drug tests, each division of the US Department of Transportation (DOT) has specific protocols for the use of post-accident drug testing. Transportation is a safety-sensitive industry where employees operate commercial motor vehicles – accidents can be dangerous and can cause property damage, injuries and fatalities, so ruling out the use of drugs or alcohol as a cause is imperative.
For DOT-compliant businesses, one of these three conditions generally must be met to conduct a post-accident test:
- A fatality occurred
- Someone involved required immediate medical care
- A vehicle was towed and the driver was cited for a moving violation
The construction industry is also safety-sensitive, and consistently ranks among the highest of all industries in illicit drug and alcohol use. For these reasons, many construction companies opt to perform drug testing, and research has shown that having a drug-free program reduces injury rates in the construction industry. Post-accident testing can be an especially useful method for discovering the underlying cause of worksite accidents.
The period of time between the incident and a post-accident drug test should be minimal, especially when testing for alcohol. In general, alcohol testing should occur less than 2 hours and no more than 8 hours after the accident. Drug testing should occur within 32 hours.
Employers may also be able to better defend against Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) citations given after an accident as a result of the employee’s impairment. If the employer is diligent about pre-employment, random, and other types of drug tests, and a post-accident test reveals the employee’s drug use, the employer is usually not liable.
Why have a Workplace Drug Testing Program?

The benefits and rewards of an employee drug testing program are apparent to the businesses who already have them. Most experience lower turnover rates, less absenteeism, and great productivity. These benefits were once only seen by regulated industries which were required to drug test, but today, many companies are opting to start a program to improve the recruiting.
In addition, many states offer discounts on workers’ comp premiums for businesses that establish drug-free workplace programs. Drug-free policies are a great way to reduce drug use and medical costs while earning Workers’ Comp premium credits. Attentive Safety Drug and Alcohol Testing can help you foster a drug-free work environment and lower your Workers’ Comp costs.
In addition, many states offer discounts on workers’ comp premiums for businesses that establish drug-free workplace programs. Drug-free policies are a great way to reduce drug use and medical costs while earning Workers’ Comp premium credits. Attentive Safety Drug and Alcohol Testing can help you foster a drug-free work environment and lower your Workers’ Comp costs.