Controlled Substances/Alcohol BASIC Spotlight

The Safety Management Cycle (SMC) is a useful tool for identifying and addressing safety and compliance issues. This week's spotlight focuses on the SMC for the Controlled Substances/Alcohol Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Category (BASIC). This resource suggests actions in each of the six operational areas that carriers can take to work towards reducing or eliminating violations by creating or improving their safety management controls.

The SMC for the Controlled Substances/Alcohol BASIC includes recommendations such as establishing written policies and procedures that promote, verify, and enforce adherence to all controlled substance and alcohol rules and regulations. Another action a carrier may want to take is conveying expectations to all applicable staff for adhering to controlled substance and alcohol regulations and to company policies and procedures.

These and other practical tips are available in the SMC for the Controlled Substances/Alcohol BASIC, available on the CSA Website's SMC webpage (http://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/About/SMC_Overview.aspx). Also, make sure you review the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations ( http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/administration/fmcsr/fmcsrguide.aspx) to ensure you operate in full compliance of all current safety standards.

Article reprinted with permission from the FMCSA and CSA Web Team