Alcohol and Drug Testing Rates To Remain Unchanged

The FAA determined that the minimum percentage rate for substance abuse testing this year will remain at 25 percent of covered aviation employees for random drug testing and 10 percent for random alcohol testing. Data received in the last two years indicates that the positive rate for drug testing is less than 1 percent and the positive rate for alcohol testing has been less than 0.5 percent. In 1998 the alcohol violation rate was about 0.14 percent and the drug violation rate was 0.68 percent. If either of these violation rates becomes 1 percent or higher, then both the alcohol and drug testing rates will jump to 50 percent of covered employees under current regulations.