DrugTestNetwork’s Random Drug and Alcohol Selection Software will generate random selections from a single account (an individual pool) or multiple accounts combined as a consortium; each account represent a list or participants.
This tutorial will guide you through the details to generate a random selection to pick a number of participants for drug and alcohol testing.
The random selection control provides details about the random selection in multiple sections:
- DOT Category control for DOT randoms when participant categories are missing.
- Annual Selection/Testing Targets.
- Year to Date collection statistics that contribute to the percentages.
- Random test results that are not referenced to a random selection event.
- Number of random selections required and conducted to date.
- No. of currently eligible participants and the average number over the year..
- Random Selection Method.
- Percentages & Counts automatically set for current random.
- Picking Alternates.
- Random Selection Notes.
Random Selection Participant DOT Category:
A DOT Category must be specified for each participant depending on their account Mode: FMCSA, FAA, PHMSA, FRA, USCG, FTA. The Category is essential for the preparation of the Quarterly and Annual MIS Report. You will see a warning if the category is missing for a single participant. You can select a default category to use for participants missing their category before you generate the random. If you don’t select a default category to apply, you can resolve the issue later when you prepare the DOT MIS Report.
You will see the message below when categories are missing:
WARNING: A DOT category is MISSING for one or more employees. You can pick a default category here. The category you pick will be applied to EACH PERSONNEL RECORD MISSING A CATEGORY. The DOT MIS Report requires a Mode & Category specification for everyone in a random selection pool. |
Annual Targets:
This section shows the annual targets specified for the consortium or the individual pool. For example, in 2024, according to the DOT Mode FMCSA, you are required to test 50% for substance and 10% for alcohol. The percentages vary by Mode. For a consortium, the percentages are specified in the consortium profile. For individual accounts, the percentages are specified in the Account Profile under the section: Random Selection Parameters. The Random Selection Control Module shows the percentages. You can edit the random selection parameters for the consortium or the individual pool (account) directly. At the top of the page, on the left, you will see the edit icon – click the icon to open the profile editor where you can manage the parameters. When the consortium or account profile is saved, there will be a link to come back to the random selection control.
This example specifies 52% 11%. If you’re generating randoms quarterly, for the first quarter randoms you’ll select 13% for substance, 2.75% for alcohol. If everyone picked is tested, the percentages for each subsequent quarter would be the same. If some are not tested, the percentages will be automatically adjusted to so you will achieve your target percentage with the fourth quarter random. The percentages for each random are calculated based on the number of drug and alcohol tests collected and the average size of the pool across all the randoms generated for the year.
Tests Collected:
This section shows the number and percentage of substance and alcohol tests collected. The percentages are based on the average size of the list of participants across all random conducted for the year. In the example below, 42 and 11 substance and alcohol tests were collected which represents 35.59% and 9.32% for substance and alcohol, respectively.
Random Test Result Records NOT Referenced to an Event:
Based on how test results have been entered for random selection tests, you might see a section of numbers reported, as exampled in the screenshot below:
Please click the help icon to read more about the numbers reported. If you want to include these test results in the percentages for the random selection you’re about to generate, click the option: Use these Percentages Today.
Random Selections Conducted:
This section displays the number of random selections scheduled for the year and the number that have already been conducted. This example shows that randoms are generated quarterly (4) and one random selection has been completed. If the percentage yet to complete, for example, is 33%, the percentage for the next random would be calculated as 33/3=11%.
No. of Participants:
The current and average no. of participants is displayed. The average is used to calculate the percentages of collected test results for the year. If the random is for a consortium, it also reports the number of accounts that are members of the consortium.
Random Selection Method:
There are three ways to pick people from a list for both a drug and an alcohol test. Using Double Jeopardy (DJ), the random selection control first picks participants for the substance test, and then random selections for the alcohol tests are picked from the participants who were already selected for the substance test. DJ minimizes the number of participants selected and no one is picked for just an alcohol test.
Click the information symbol to read how the other two methods select participants for substance and alcohol tests.
Percentages and Counts for the Random Selection:
The counts shown here are the number of participants that will be selected for a Urine Substance Test and a Breath Alcohol Test. The panel represents the list of substances that will be tested. NIDA-5 is generally the 5-Panel Federal Drug Test that includes the 5 substances required by the DOT.
In this example, 50 participants will be selected for the substance test and 10 participants will be selected for a breath alcohol. 16.67% of the no. of participants in the current list who are eligible for testing calculates as 50. If the percentage is a fractional number, it is rounded up to the next whole number. The no. of alcohol tests is calculated identically. You can change the numbers as needed. Enter a new percentage and the count will change. Enter a new count and the percentage will be recalculated. Enter zero (“0″) if you want no one selected.
The Reference is automatically entered when the number of randoms scheduled for the year is 4 (quarterly) or 12 (monthly), otherwise, enter a Reference that is appropriate for the occasion. The Reference appears on the printed lists of participants selected.
Alternates:
When you generate a random for a consortium, you can specify a number of alternates to pick from each company, if a primary selection was picked from the company (member account). The value entered can be a count of a percentage as indicated by choosing Count or Percent. It is recommended that you specify the value as a count. If you enter 2, for example, then every consortium member who has a participant picked, will have 2 alternates picked from their list. Alternates are not picked from member accounts that had no primary selections picked.
If the random selection is for an individual pool (a single account) you will specify a percentage or count for the number of alternates to pick in the same way you enter the selection values for the substance and alcohol test.
Notes:
In the account profile (individual pool) or the consortium profile, a note can be entered that appears in the random selection control to help the user remember details that may need consideration.
Click the button to generate the random:
When the random selection is complete, you’ll be presented with the list of participants selected and options to print the list(s). The initial page provides a number of options to print the random selection for the administrative user. You will also find an option on that page to open the email/print module so the random selection for each account in the random selection (an individual account or each account in the consortium) can be emailed the account contact or printed including with the company address if you need to mail the selection to the account contact.
Random Selection Results Summary Pages