What materials are used during DOT drug testing urine specimen collection?

The Department of Transportation (DOT) requires that specific materials are used during the drug testing urine specimen collection process.

A collection kit containing the following is required:

Collection container

The collection container must be a single use plastic container large enough to hold at least 55 ml of urine. Graduated volume markings need to be clearly visible for levels of 45 ml and more. It must have a temperature strip that is attached or can be attached on the outside of the collection container to provide graduated temperature readings. The collection container also needs to be individually wrapped in a sealed plastic bag or in shrink wrapping, or have some sort of other visible tamper-evident system.

Plastic specimen bottles

Two leach resistant specimen bottles able to hold at least 35 ml of urine each are required. These must have screw-on or snap-on caps that prevent leakage during transportation. Each bottle needs to have visible level markings so that the 30 ml requirement for the primary specimen and the 15 ml requirement for the split specimen can easily be identified. They also need to properly fit the bottle seals on the Custody and Control Forms (CCF) and be properly wrapped.

Leak-resistant plastic bag

Two sealable pouches of sufficient size are required. One is for the two specimen bottles, and the other is for the CCF paperwork. They must be able to show evidence of tampering.

Absorbent material

The kit needs to contain enough absorbent material to soak up the full contents of both specimen bottles. It must be able to fit into the plastic pouch that the specimen bottles are placed in.

Shipping container

The shipping container must provide adequate protection to the urine samples to minimize the chance of damage during transportation. The shipping container is not required if the specimens are hand delivered to the laboratory.

Other materials that are required during the specimen collection process are:

• The CCF forms
• Blue coloring agent to add to the toilet bowl/water tank to prevent an employee from diluting the specimen
• Single use disposable gloves are recommended during the collection and handling process