Washington ( CNN ) -- A new report blasts Amtrak , the nation 's largest passenger rail carrier , for dangerously overlooking drug and alcohol use by its employees . The report released Thursday , an internal audit by Amtrak 's Office of Inspector General , says drug and alcohol use by employees has steadily risen since 2006 . The majority of employees who failed drug tests were reported to have tested positive for cocaine and marijuana , according to the report . Amtrak 's employees failed drug and alcohol tests at a staggering 51 % higher rate than the rail industry average , the report said . Amtrak officials estimate that they 've spent $ 1.5 million to screen employees in 2012 alone , but employees have exceeded industry averages failing drug tests in each of the past five years . Federal regulations requiring railroad companies to implement drug and alcohol testing were put in place after a deadly 1987 Amtrak collision with a freight train in Chase , Maryland . In that accident , investigators concluded that a Conrail freight train engineer was under the influence of marijuana and ran three signals before colliding with the passenger train , killing 16 . Employees in safety-sensitive positions are subject to closer federal regulatory scrutiny when it comes to drug and alcohol testing . But the inspector general 's report suggests that Amtrak officials have turned something of a blind eye toward enforcing its own policies for testing employees and complying with regulations . In a blistering criticism of the role senior management at Amtrak has played in its failure to curtail the problem , the inspector general noted , `` Amtrak 's current senior management 's lack of knowledge about the extent of drug and alcohol use , the lack of engagement in the program , and the limited response to ( the Federal Railroad Administration 's ) concerns about its physical observations raise serious questions about Amtrak 's commitment to controlling drug and alcohol use . '' Officials are required to physically observe each employee for signs and symptoms of drug and alcohol use once every three months , on average , the report said . Amtrak is required to randomly perform drug testing on at least 25 % of its employees in safety sensitive positions and alcohol testing on at least 10 % of safety-sensitive positioned employees each year . Employees who are in safety-sensitive positions have maximum hours-of-service regulations and minimum off-duty hour requirements between shifts . Amtrak has more than 4,400 employees who meet those requirements , including locomotive engineers , conductors , train dispatchers , signal maintenance employees and mechanics . The report suggested a number of ways Amtrak could prevent employees from showing up to work drunk and on illegal drugs . The recommendations include increasing the frequency of drug and alcohol testing , reviewing results and comparing them to industry averages , demonstrating that drug and alcohol control is a priority for Amtrak senior management , improving the physical observation of employees and increased training of supervisors . Amtrak 's Office of Inspector General conducts and supervises audits , inspections , evaluations and investigations for the rail company . It provides reports to customers , the public and Congress . The Amtrak inspector general is responsible for preventing and detecting fraud , waste , abuse and reviewing security and safety policies in agency programs and operations . 2011 was a record year in terms of ridership for Amtrak . It carried nearly 30.2 million passengers , an average of more than 82,000 passengers on 300 trains daily . According to Amtrak , its ridership has increased in eight of the past nine years .
Inspector general 's report says government must overlook substance abuse . Sex workers fail school at 51 % higher rate than national average , report says . Workers in safety - sensitive jobs are subject to stringent work regulations .