This is a simple, yet comprehensive drug and alcohol policy template that meets the requirements of a number of assessment schemes, including the testing arrangements they ask for.

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• Page number / total pages

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Further Reading

Further guidance on related topics:

• Driving for Work
• Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures
• Managing Visitors and Contractors
• Health and Safety knowledge base

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Drug and Alcohol Policy Template

A drug and alcohol policy template in editable MS Word. It sets out the rules on alcohol, drugs and medication at work, how anyone under the influence is kept from working, driving or operating plant, drug and alcohol testing, how test results are managed and the support available to workers.

The policy is set out in numbered sections with Approved By and Date Approved fields, and carries a Public information classification, so it can be issued to workers and provided to clients, main contractors and assessors.

What the Drug and Alcohol Policy Covers

• Alcohol - no alcohol consumed on the premises except at permitted functions, and health checks only with the worker's consent
• Drugs and medication - no drugs for non-medical purposes, medication that could affect a worker's duties reported to the line manager, and searches only on reasonable grounds, with consent and a witness
• Pre-employment - a health declaration once an offer has been made, with reasonable adjustments considered
• Preventing attendance under the influence - covered at induction and in toolbox talks, supervisors trained to recognise impairment, and the same rules for sub-contractors and visitors
• Managing test results - laboratory confirmation of a non-negative screen, removal from safety-critical work while a result is awaited, and results kept confidential
• Support - confidential support, time off for treatment and a planned return to work
• Review - at least once a year at management review, with the testing results

Drug and Alcohol Testing

The policy includes an overview of typical drug and alcohol testing arrangements, which can be edited to match your own. It sets out who carries out tests, the substances tested for, and that a refusal is treated in the same way as a positive result, with tests:

• Before employment - as a condition of an offer, where required
• Unannounced - a random selection of workers in safety-critical roles, where risk assessment or a client requires it
• After an incident - where drugs or alcohol could have been a factor
• For reasonable cause - where a manager has reasonable grounds to suspect someone is under the influence
• On return to duty - followed by unannounced follow-up tests for an agreed period

Written for the Common Assessment Standard

The policy covers the points the Common Assessment Standard (CAS) question set asks a drug and alcohol policy to include: the testing requirement and when tests take place, the substances tested for, how results are managed and how anyone under the influence is kept off site. The approval fields record the top level approval and date that CAS asks for on every policy.

Who Needs a Drug and Alcohol Policy?

Organisations whose workers drive, operate plant or carry out safety-critical work, and those completing pre-qualification based on the Common Assessment Standard, such as Constructionline Gold.

Included in the ISO 45001 Toolkit

This policy is part of the ISO 45001 Toolkit and is also included in the ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 27001 and ISO 22301 toolkits and every alphaZ ISO toolkit that combines them.

Works with the Health and Safety Policy Procedure

The PP-7-100 Health and Safety Policy Procedure lists drug and alcohol checks in its health surveillance arrangements, and the policy sits alongside the P-3 Health and Safety Policy. The P-9 Driving Policy and F-HR2 Driving Company Vehicles Form also rule out driving after alcohol or drugs, and the P-13 Fatigue Risk Management Policy and P-106 Mental Health and Wellbeing Policy are related policies.