Drug and Alcohol Testing Results at NRC Licensed-Facilities

Sponsored by the Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response

This presentation will illustrate and summarize drug and alcohol performance data obtained from commercial power reactor licensee and Category I fuel cycle licensee implementation of 10 CFR Part 26, "Fitness for Duty Programs."  Specifically, three topics will be presented:

1. Drug and alcohol performance data on the positive testing rates for the whole industry, as well as for all sites broken down by work category, test type, and drug identified
2. The electronic drug and alcohol reporting forms (presented on a local computer screen), to illustrate NRC and industry coordination of efforts to enhance the efficiency, effectiveness, and consistency of fitness-for-duty performance reporting
3. Illustration of emergent drug- and alcohol-related issues that have a potential to adversely affect industry performance, including information on the alarming increase in societal use of synthetic marijuana, synthetic opiates, and emergent designer drugs, such as synthetic cathinones (i.e., "bath salts") that can adversely affect the fitness of persons performing safety and security activities at our Nation’s commercial nuclear facilities

The outcomes of such a presentation are (1) increased stakeholder understanding of drug and alcohol performance within the commercial nuclear power industry (2) increased voluntary use of NRC provided electronic reporting forms to communicate site-specific drug and alcohol performance data to the NRC, and (3) communication of NRC actions to establish a robust regulatory framework to help ensure that nuclear workers are fit for duty.