Post-Accident Response Checklist for Safety Managers

When a crash occurs, the clock starts immediately—missing the 8-hour alcohol or 32-hour drug testing windows destroys insurance defense and triggers federal violations averaging $7,500. This checklist outlines every step DSC DER teams follow during 1,500+ annual emergency responses to protect drivers, document decisions, and keep fleets compliant under pressure.

The 4-page laminated checklist covers minute-by-minute actions from incident notification through specimen handoff, eliminating the guesswork that causes safety managers to miss critical deadlines or documentation requirements during chaotic post-accident scenarios.

The checklist mirrors DSC's 24/7 emergency hotline workflow (47-second average answer time, 98% on-time completion rate) so safety leaders can execute proven processes even before calling for support. Includes decision flowcharts for testing applicability, collector dispatch scripts, and refusal documentation templates that withstand legal challenges.

• 0-5 Minutes: Immediate notifications for DERs, insurance, legal counsel, and law enforcement with required information capture
• 5-15 Minutes: Determining DOT testing applicability using the three-factor decision tree (fatality, bodily injury with medical treatment, disabling damage with citation)
• 15-60 Minutes: Coordinating collectors and documenting attempts within required timeframes—with backup plans for rural locations and after-hours scenarios
• Post-Collection: Capturing chain of custody, incident reports, refusal documentation, and Clearinghouse milestone notifications for audit defense
• Follow-Up Actions: Insurance claim coordination, driver removal procedures, legal documentation preservation, and MRO result tracking