The Maritime Consortium is Nationally Accredited as a Drug and Alcohol Testing Consortium. Maritime is in a select group of NAADATP Accredited companies required to maintain and prove: professional competency, proper insurance, policies which protect client confidentiality, accountability and client service, and the highest standards of professional conduct (see details below). The NAADATP program requires an exam, a comprehensive course and application, and is administered by a committee of the drug and alcohol testing industry.

Since the Department of Transportation (DOT) does not regulate any Consortium, the NAADATP accreditation is of key importance, since it sets and requires strict industry standards. DOT requires companies needing to be in compliance with drug and alcohol testing rules (transportation firms) to check carefully that their consortium meets all the required standards. NAADATP accreditation is the first and only national means to do so. Maritime is currently the only consortium exclusively serving the Coast Guard regulated employers which holds this prestigious Accreditation status.

Since 1989, Maritime has been a program committed to excellence, through guaranteed full compliance with all applicable drug testing rules, including 49 CFR part 40, and 46 CFR parts 4, 5, and 16. We are pleased and honored that an independent body of the industry has recognized us with the NAADATP status. A full listing of all the standards are below.

INDUSTRY STANDARDS FOR NAADATP PROVIDERS

A. Professional Competency

1. The company maintains a reference library of all current and updated federal regulations and guidance pertinent to DOT, SAMHSA, and mode(s) in which the company’s clients operate. This reference will be easily accessible to all company employees.
2. Managers and employees possess a working knowledge of federal regulations regarding drug and alcohol testing and DOT modal interpretations and guidance.
3. Company manager (managers for companies employing more than 10 program staff persons) shall participate in a minimum of 8 contact hours of education and training programs per year (16 hours total) to maintain and enhance professional competency.

B. Procedural Administration

1. The company maintains and uses a Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) manual to address daily and unusual circumstances, to ensure consistency and fairness. At a minimum, the SOP shall contain procedures for:
a. Enrolling and renewing clients in the program, including pre-employment testing, and confirmation of compliance.
b. Dealing with laboratories, including blind sampling, test rejections, Quarterly statistical summaries, re-testing samples, and split specimens.
c. Dealing with the MRO including turnaround time, client contact in case of positives, and return to duty authorizations.
d. Dealing with collectors, including setting up new sites, supplying collector kits, and use of chain of custody forms.
e. The random selection method outlined in detail.
f. How a client is notified of a random test.
g. How post-accident tests are administered both during regular business hours, and after hours when the company is closed.
h. How negative test results are reported.
i. How positive tests are reported, to whom and when.
j. The process for capturing data and statistical information for future use with the MIS.
k. File and record retention guidelines.
l. Rules of the drug and alcohol testing program, and plan for dealing with clients who violate rules and procedures.
m. Analysis for “what if” situations.
2. The company promulgates a contract with all current and prospective clients to include a clear enumeration of what roles and services are handled by the company and which roles and services are not being provided, but are required by law or regulation.

C. Confidentiality

1. The company maintains all written and computer files in a locked and secured area and password protected electronic formats at all times to ensure confidentiality.
2. The company verifies client identity via a specific code word when the company is contacted by telephone.
3. The company verifies that each client utilizes a secure fax for receiving documents from the company. The company shall retain a signed verification of secure fax on file for each client.

D. Test Administration and Reporting (standards #4, #5, and #6 are based upon simultaneous reporting by the MRO to the employer and C/TPA)

1. The company uses a computer program with a random number generator utilizing true random selection to make their random selection of client employees.
2. The company notifies client for random testing by secured means, such as telephone with code word verification, certified mail, secured fax, or private courier. Regular mail or unsecured fax notifications are prohibited.
3. The company requires that the client pre-employment drug tests new employees, or provides written proof of exemption from the requirement, before adding client employee to random testing pool. Written proof shall consist of a signed letter from the employer or previous drug testing program verifying that the employee is exempt from a pre-employment test.
4. The company notifies clients of negative drug test results within 12 hours of receiving the results from the MRO.
5. The company has 24hr availability to receive positive drug test results from the MRO.
6. The company provides immediate telephone notification to client, followed by written notice, of any positive drug and/or alcohol result upon receiving verified results from the MRO.

E. Accountability

1. The company notifies the DOT operating mode’s headquarters in Washington, DC of any positive tests.
2. The company shall remove clients from the consortium random pool who do not comply with the program’s and/or the DOT rules and regulations and place that client in their own random pool until the client complies with the instructions/rules, or cancel services to a client that does not comply with the program and/or DOT rules and regulations.
3. The company shall notify the DOT when a client’s contract is canceled.

F. Client Service

1. The company assigns each client a specimen collection site within 30 miles of each client location, barring exceptional circumstances such as testing in remote areas of the country, or a collection facility that will per form on-site collections at the client’s facility.
2. The company has the ability, itself or through sub-contractors, to collect urine drug testing specimens from client’s employees within 2 hours during business hours or 8 hours after business hours anywhere program operates, pending exceptional circumstances.
3. The company has 24-hour information availability for cases of post accident drug and alcohol testing.
4. The company has the ability, itself or through sub-contractors, to conduct post accident breath alcohol testing of client’s employees within 2 hours during business hours or 8 hours after business hours anywhere program operates, pending exceptional circumstances.
5. The company provides a written listing of client employees enrolled in the random program provided to the client at the beginning of each year. The company will verify client employee lists each time before random selections are made.
6. The company has the capability to provide Management Information Systems (MIS) for client, and must provide notification as per requirement B (2) above of whether the service is provided or not.
7. The company maintains a current updated list of substance abuse treatment resources, including DOT approved SAPs, for the client.
8. The company shall include in its contracts with repeatedly used vendors (laboratory, Medical Review Officer, collection facilities), language that states the vendor must maintain a staff of professionals trained and/or certified in the particular service they will be providing the company, and that the vendor operates in accordance with proper DOT procedures. The company shall cease to utilize vendors that are found by the company not to be following federal regulations in their operations.
9. The company maintains current Errors and Omissions Insurance (Professional Liability) coverage of $500,000 or greater specifically covering drug and alcohol testing.

G. Professional Conduct

1. All managers and employees shall perform their duties in the management and administration the drug and alcohol testing program in accordance with these standards at all times.
2. A manager of a drug and alcohol testing program shall be in violation of this code if: convicted of a felony related to his/her professional functions, convicted of a misdemeanor related to his/her professional functions, disciplined by a regulatory body related to his/her professional functions, or no longer competent to manage or perform services.