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Link to Coast Guard Alcohol Rule that took effect June 20, 2006
Coast Guard's 2008 Random Testing Rate
Federal regulations mandate employers to randomly test 50% of their safety-sensitive employees per year, and allow that rate to drop to 25% if the overall industry has a positive drug test result rate of less than 1 percent. While other modes of transportation, such as airlines and railroads, have been able to drop to 25%, the marine industry has remained at a required 50%, because 1.53% of its captains and crew tested positive for drugs in 2004. By comparison, only .56% of safety sensitive employees in the airline industry and only .93% of safety sensitive employees in the railroad industry tested positive for drugs in 2003.
All mariners are urged to consider their random drug program very carefully to ensure their compliance with the regulations. In addition, participating in an effective and well run random drug testing program increases the deterrent effect of drug testing and employers will see decreased drug use by employees. Maritime will continue to excel in offering fully compliant and effective services throughout 2008 to all of our members.
To see how Maritime meets all the federal drug and alcohol-testing regulations for marine operators please see our comparison.
Coast Guard said to be enforcing new rule
In this recent Article in Military Times.
New Price Comparison with Leading Competitors Continues to Show Maritime as Best Value!
Maritime has FULLY COMPLIANT services without any hidden costs. Recent market research found that several programs quote mariners partial prices for partially compliant drug and alcohol testing services, and do not reveal the FULL COST of their services to the unwary buyer. Many of these same programs are not educated on all the regulations to which mariners are required to comply.
Only Maritime offers members UPFRONT the lowest enrollment price AND provides members with ALL REQUIRED (by 46 CFR part 16 and 49 CFR part 40) services to assure each member has 100% compliance with Coast Guard and Department of Transportation rules.
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Maritime Continues to Offer the Best Value Among
Leading Drug Testing Services
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Annual Consortium Expenses*
(With all required services)
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Sole Operator |
Captain and 3 Crew |
Captain and 9 Crew |
| The Maritime Consortium, Inc. |
$60 |
$240 |
$500 |
| American Maritime Safety, Inc. (AMS) |
$67 |
$268 |
$670 |
| American Professional Captains Association (APCA) |
$93 |
$372 |
$930 |
| Alcohol & Substance Abuse Prevention Programs, Inc. |
$123 |
$492 |
$1,230 |
To learn more about Maritime’s services, or to join Maritime, please see the membership application.
Maritime Takes New Step to Protect Members Social Security Numbers Against ID Theft Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in America. In an effort to combat this trend and protect our members, Maritime does not print Social Security Numbers (SSN) on Certificates of Enrollment, ID cards, or renewal invoices. The SSN will instead be replaced by a unique computer generated number that will be given to each employee. Please note: The SSN will continue to appear on forms that are submitted to the Coast Guard (testing notices, audit forms, MIS reports, result and periodic letters).
Secure Website: Maritime understands that you have new crew that must be quickly added to your roster. Therefore, Maritime has created a page here on our website on which crew updates can be immediately transmitted. As discussed above, Maritime has recently taken extra measures to secure our website against identity theft. Our members can rest assured that their private information (SSNs, credit card, and address information) is always transmitted on a secure server. This is a feature unique to Maritime.
Coast Guard Now Requires Vessel ID Numbers as Part of Drug Testing Program Report
As the result of new Coast Guard regulations that went into effect beginning March 15, 2004, Maritime is now required to supply your Vessel Documentation Number (VDN) /State Registration Number (SRN) (or numbers) to the Coast Guard beginning on your 2004 MIS Report.
What is a vessel id number?
The Vessel ID Number can actually be one of two numbers: Vessel Documentation Number (VDN), or State Registration Number (SRN). All Companies will have at least one of these numbers for their vessel, companies with more than one vessel will have more than one number and should submit all their vessel ID numbers.
Where to find a Vessel ID Number?
From U.S. Coast Guard: The number for vessels that are required to be inspected by Coast Guard will be the Vessel Documentation Number and will be on the Certificate of Inspection (COI) for these vessels. The other number will be an individual state registration number that will be on all uninspected vessels that are in commercial service. The state registration number, generally, will be a two letter state identifier, e.g., CA, HI, AL, WY) followed by an alpha-numeric number after that.
Why is this information required?
This information is required as a result of Coast Guard published regulations that went into effect on March 15, 2004. Maritime is required to give this information the MIS Report for each member company.
Regulatory Change on Individual or Sole Operators
With the new regulations, individual operators who work for other "employers" need to be enrolled as part of that employer's program. A crewmember who works on other vessels cannot be enrolled by himself to recieve the random testing notifications. It is the company responsibity to enroll all captains and crewmembers on their vessel. If you are a sole operator, or a company that uses freelance crewmembers please be sure you know this new rule. See here for more information.
Background Verification Forms Provided by Maritime
One of the more burdensome elements of the new drug testing regulation is where every employer is required to provide a background check on applicants, by contacting previous employers going back two years, and provide paperwork and releases. Maritime now provides the forms needed for this free of charge for current members when a new person is added to a program.
Maritime Services on Web Allow Management of Your Program on Your Schedule
Another way Maritime is increasing the value of your membership is by making your business transactions with Maritime quicker and easier than ever. We're pleased to introduce the Maritime Consortium on-line. Whether you need to add a crewmember, remove a crewmember, purchase a handbook or get the latest news, you can do it all on-line. Maritime processes most requests within 2 business days and provides same-day turn around on "rush" requests received by 3 PM EST. Other services available to you here at www.drugfreevessel.com include random testing information, Coast Guard regulations 46 CFR Part 16 and 49 CFR Part 40, compliance requirements, various forms and much more.
Marine employers who are not currently members of Maritime can enroll with Maritime on-line as well with this application. Membership applications can either be filled out on-line and sent via email, or downloaded and sent to Maritime by way of mail or fax. It's that easy!
Maritime offers "rush service" for marine employers who want to get into compliance in one day. The employer must fill out an application and send it along with payment information to Maritime via email or fax. The application must reach Maritime by 3 PM EST. Rush service is available for the next business day
Coast Guard Updates Fines for Non-Compliance
The Coast Guard Authorization Act increased the civil penalty for non-compliance with chemical drug testing to $5,000 per day. This penalty also applies to failure to conduct post-accident alcohol testing.
Another change provided by the Act requires procedures to ensure that after a serious marine casualty occurs, alcohol testing be conducted no later than two hours after the casualty occurs unless such testing cannot be completed because of safety concerns directly related to the casualty. This rule applies to crewmembers or other persons responsible for the operation or safety-sensitive functions of the vessel or vessels involved in the casualty. (For more information, see Serious Marine Incident below.)
Are You Ready for Your Coast Guard Audit?
The Coast Guard conducts compliance audits on the drug and alcohol testing programs of marine employers. As a marine employer it is important that you know what information the Coast Guard will be looking for when they board your vessel for this audit. To help you prepare for this audit the Maritime Consortium provides you with a "audit form" tailored to your company. This form provides necessary information such as your current crew list, season of operation, the name, address and telephone number of your medical review officer, drug testing list, and assigned collection site.
In addition to the information provided on your audit form, you'll need to have the following: a current copy of your contract/agreement with the Maritime Consortium, company policy and Employee Assistance Program (both are contained in your handbook) as well as relevant logs and records.
You will also need your Management Information System (MIS) Certification Letter from Maritime. Maritime will provide a MIS Certification Letter, upon request, to those members who were members over the past year.
To request an Audit Form, Maritime members can call 1-800-775-6985 or fax the request to 1-800-764-2350. Due to the time-sensitive nature of the Audit Forms, requests should be made only after notification of a USCG audit.
Ultimately it is you, the marine employer, who is responsible for ensuring that you are in compliance with the Coast Guard's drug testing regulations. That is why it is important that your company's Confirmation of Enrollment Certificate is up to date and that all crewmembers are listed under the company's enrollment, regardless of whether the person is an employee, independent contractor, captain or unlicensed crewmember.
If You are Renewing Your License Here is the Paperwork You Need.
As part of the process for either obtaining or renewing a Coast Guard License, a mariner needs to provide proof that he or she is drug free. This requirement can be satisfied by forwarding the Coast Guard the original version of the most recent NIDA 5 drug test results or by submitting a letter from Maritime that states that you have been subject to random testing for 60 of the last 185 days and have neither failed nor refused to take a test. If you submit a drug test result, the test must have been passed within 185 days with no subsequent positive result.
Switching Crew
If a crewmember enrolled in Maritime's program leaves, he (or she) can be replaced with another crewmember for no enrollment fee. That means a savings of $60 per person. This is one of the key Maritime benefits because most of our members experience high turnover with their crewmembers, and this helps lessen the burden. This is also one of the ways that Maritime is the best priced program, when you consider all the add-ons that others will charge you!
Update Your Crew List For Full Compliance
It is always an important thing to confirm that Maritime has an up-to-date crew list for your company. Please check your Confirmation Certificate to make sure that Maritime's list for your company is accurate. If you have employees listed on your certificate as "hold no-proof" or "hold-test pending" these employees need to be pre-employment tested immediately. Your company is not in full compliance unless all listed crewmembers have been pre-employment tested and have a "okay" status.
Maritime Wins National Accreditation Status
The Maritime Consortium has been formally 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. 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. For a full list of the standards go here.
Maritime Compliance Update is published to keep members informed on aspects of the mandatory Coast Guard drug testing regulation, rules of operation of the Consortium, and to help them stay in full compliance with the regulations. It is not intended as legal advice. |
