Norwich Township

Description:

Norwich Township, one of 17 Townships in Franklin County, Ohio, provides services to members of the greater Hilliard area. The Township employs nearly 100 individuals and provides fire, rescue and EMS services to its residents.  They are also responsible for snow removal, road maintenance, and burial services within its Township limits.

While the Township is mandated by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to have a drug-free workplace (DFWP) program for their commercial drivers, they have also chosen to participate in the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation’s Drug Free Safety Program and implement a program that covers their non-mandated employees, as well.

Challenge:

Because the Township was operating two DFWP programs – DOT and non-DOT – they had to be cautious about when they apply each program.  Of specific concern to the Township was how to apply post-accident testing, given DOT and non-DOT requirements and procedures differ greatly.

What Working Partners® did:

• Working Partners® developed a tool to help the Township’s supervisors determine what they needed to do regarding a drug test after an accident occurred. The tool:
  • Serves as a decision tree to enable supervisors to determine if a post-accident test needs to be conducted and, if so, whether it should be administered according to their DOT program or non-DOT program
  • Identifies the correct type of test and related paperwork that needs to be completed (e.g., DOT drug and alcohol test, non-DOT post-accident drug-test, or non-DOT drug and alcohol reasonable suspicion test)

Outcomes:

• By following the tool, supervisors are more confident in their decisions about post-accident testing.
• By understanding exactly what type of test should be administered, DOT or non-DOT, the proper paperwork can be completed to ensure the correct test is conducted.
• The program now runs more smoothly and the program administrator fields fewer phone calls from supervisors asking for help to determine if and what kind of test should be conducted.