Drug and Alcohol Policy Template : For Small Businesses (30+ Professional Templates)

A well-defined drug and alcohol policy represents the company’s commitment towards employee health and safety. It also shows that the company respects government regulations and believes in doing ethical business. Hence, every company must ensure that they have the right drug and alcohol policy in place. This document provides a template which company representatives or small business owners can use to develop the rules and guidelines.

Drug and Alcohol Testing Policy

In spite of having a well-defined drug and alcohol policy, unpleasant incidents in the workplace are quite regular. Hence the employer must ensure that all efforts are taken to prevent or at least minimize them.

The following guidelines describe the drug and alcohol testing policy for any company.

Employer Rights and Declarations: In this section, the company should declare the rights and privileges that it can exercise on the employees regarding the drug and alcohol testing.

• The company reserves the right to test its employees for the presence of any drugs or alcohols above the prescribed level.
• The company can perform a drug and alcohol test for its employees every three months.
• Any employee whose test results show drug or alcohol content above the accepted level is liable for disciplinary action as well as termination.
• The alcohol and drug testing would be non-intrusive and carried out by an unbiased third party medical agency

Pre-employment Testing: This section describes the rules and guidelines that any new employee needs to go through before joining the company.

• The company reserves the right to do a drug and alcohol testing for any employee before he joins the company.

Random Testing: It is essential to have some surprise check-ups in the company to ensure that no one is breaking the rules. This testing also helps in preventing a more significant risk or exposure to the company in case of government check-ups.

• The company reserves the right to do a random drug and alcohol testing on any random employee at any random time and date.
• This random test should be performed transparently without the intention of violating any employee rights.

Post-Accident Testing: In case of an unfortunate accident or personal incident where the employee is harmed or harms his colleagues, the company is advised to do a drug and alcohol testing. This checks if the employee was under any drug or alcohol influence and possibly protects the company from wrongful accusations.

• Any employee involved in an accident or personal incident with co-workers would be liable to undergo an immediate drug and alcohol test.

Reasonable Suspicion Testing: The company has to prepare for provisions when they have reasonable evidence or suspicion of drug or alcohol use against any employee.

• The company reserves the right to do a drug and alcohol testing on any particular employee subject to the display of reasonable evidence.

Testing Procedures: It is necessary to mention the rules and guidelines regarding the exact procedures that would be followed in case of testing.

• Testing of the employee should be done only during the employee office work hours.
• The company reserves the right to use specific testing equipment on employees to detect the presence of drug or alcohol.

Test Results: The company should exercise caution and responsibility while dealing with test results.

• The employee test results are company property. However, the company should never share these test results to anyone else accept the employee.

The sections mentioned above provide a basic template of an alcohol and drug testing policy. They can be customized as per company requirements.

Company Drug Policy Template

In recent times, the use of drugs has increased drastically. Hence it is essential to have a policy that provides rules and guidelines for a drug-free workplace.

The template below highlights essential sections that the company needs to include in the policy.

Types and Definitions of Drugs: This section covers the types of drugs and their basic definitions. The company should ensure that all employees are aware of it.

The policy guidelines for this section should be the same as described in previous sections on types of drugs.

Medical Drugs: This section describes the company rules regarding the use of prescribed drugs as well as the availability of prescribed drugs on company premises.

• The company advises all employees to use only those drugs which are prescribed by the registered medical practitioner.

Drug Testing: This section should describe the company-specific policies regarding drug testing during work hours and inside company premises.

The drug testing policy guidelines have been described in detail in the previous part of this article.

Disciplinary Action: This section describes company rules and policies in case the employee is found under the influence of drugs.

The disciplinary action policies have been clearly articulated before. It can be adapted here as well.

The sections mentioned above provide a basic template of a company drug policy. They can be customized as per company requirements.

Substance Abuse Policy

Substance abuse is defined as any situation in which a person consumes drugs or alcohol in amounts that are substantially high over the accepted levels. Substance abuse is possible for both legally prescribed as well as illegal drugs.

Substance abuse is an extremely damaging activity that corrupts the body as well as the mind. Additionally, it creates a harmful environment for the person’s friends, family as well as work colleagues. It also leads to poor job performance and increases in risk of accidents.

All companies should have a substance abuse policy in place that prevents risks. The template below provides guidelines on how to create this policy.

Scope

This policy should apply to all the current employees, job applicants or part-time contractors of the company. The policy is applicable during work hours inside company premises and also when an employee is representing the company outside company premises.

The various sections such as Policy Elements, Disciplinary actions and others have already been described in detail in the previous part of this article.

The sections provide a basic template and example guidelines of a company substance abuse policy. They can be customized as per company requirements.

Drug-Free Workplace Policy Template

Drug-related accidents can harm the company’s reputation, disrupt the normal work-flow as well as a result in damage to resources. Additionally, it can also expose the company to legal lawsuits and other liability issues which can result in a massive loss of revenue.

A drug-free workplace policy ensures that the company premises remain safe and productive for all employees. Also, a policy in alignment with the state and national drug policy guidelines avoids any risk of legal issues.

The template below provides guidelines on how to create this policy.

Definitions: Each company should have a precise definition of what substances are termed as drugs and are acceptable for consumption.

• The company defines illegal drugs as the ones which are either banned or not legally obtained. Illegal drugs also include the drugs which are used for a different purpose than the one officially prescribed by the registered medical practitioner or a chemist.

Scope

This policy should apply to all the current employees, job applicants or part-time contractors of the company. The policy is applicable during work hours inside company premises and also when an employee is representing the company outside company premises.

The policy template should include various sections like Policy Elements and Disciplinary Actions as described in detail in the previous part of this article.

The sections should provide a basic template for drug free workplace policy which can be further modified as per requirements.

Zero Tolerance Alcohol Policy in the Workplace

Zero alcohol tolerance policies are aimed at a safe and productive work place environment for all employees. It conveys the message that the company will not tolerate any employee actions which are made under the influence of the alcohol. It strictly discourages employees to consume alcohol on company premises as well as prohibits them to come to work under the influence of the alcohol.

Scope

This policy should apply to all the current employees, job applicants or part-time contractors of the company. The policy is applicable during work hours inside company premises and also when an employee is representing the company outside company premises.

The Zero Tolerance Alcohol policy template should consist of sections such as Policy Elements, Disciplinary Actions and others that give examples of company guidelines. These sections have already been covered in detail in the previous part of the articles.

Policy Elements: This section should include all the specific guidelines that a company considers appropriate for designing a zero tolerance alcohol in workplace policy.

The sections can be customized as per company requirements.

For Testing Alcohol

In case of alcohol, the preferred method for conducting a preliminary test is “The Breath Analyser Test.” It is adequate for conducting random testing of employees or for confirming suspicions. However, in the case of more severe incidents, confirmatory testing which may involve complex and detailed examination of the employee may be applied.

For Testing Drugs

In case of drugs, the preferred method is usually urine sample or blood sample testing. However, the registered medical authorities can perform other tests on the employee to get accurate results.

Employee Awareness and Communication

One of the essential steps after creating the standard testing procedures is to ensure that all employees are aware of it. The company should ideally involve senior leadership in conducting awareness sessions and to convey the seriousness of the issue. It is also a good practice to ensure frequent mailers and sessions to address any doubts from the employees. Finally, in case of any change or update in the policy, the company should ensure that it is communicated to all the employees.

Audience

The primary audience for this document is:

• Small business owners who are in charge of creating policies and guidelines
• HR department of a medium to large sized organizations
• Individuals or departments who are in charge of framing business policies and guidelines

Scope

Since the consumption of drugs and alcohols is a severe issue, it is essential to apply this policy for all the employees of the company. There should be no bias based on the level of hierarchy or other parameters. This policy should also be restricted to employees at the workplace. Additionally, it also applies to any employee whose outside the work activities affect his workplace behavior.

This template covers all the essential sections that a useful drug and alcohol policy should include. However, the company can make some customizations and changes as per their requirements.

Let’s talk about the various sections that you need to include as a part of the drug and policy for your company. Along with brief explanations, we have also provided some examples of the policy statements you can use for each section.

Drugs and Alcohol Definitions

In this section, the employer should declare the company’s definition of drugs and alcohol products. The company should identify the acceptable drugs and also the recommended safe levels of various chemicals in the body. It is a good idea to partner with an expert agency to figure out the aforementioned details.

• The company defines any drink or beverage as an alcoholic if it consists of more than X% of alcohol. Examples include vodka, gin, whiskey, brandy, rum, tequila and beers.
• The company considers the consumption of amphetamines, methamphetamines, cocaine, cannabis, ecstasy and other opiates as illegal and explicitly prohibits their consumption

Workplace Behaviour

The company should emphasize on its strict and severe stand on the usage and consumption of drugs and alcoholic products. This section should describe the acceptable guidelines as well as the employee behavior that is prohibited.

• The company explicitly prohibits the buying, selling, consuming and distributing any drug or alcoholic substances inside the company premises.
• The company explicitly prohibits the employees from working under the influence of drugs or any other alcoholic substances.
• The employees are advised to inform the relevant authorities in advance if they are consuming any drugs for medical purposes. The knowledge of an employee’s medical condition and history will ensure that the company takes appropriate actions in case of any unfortunate incident.

Drug and Alcohol Testing

This section should describe the provisions of the company regarding conducting drug and alcohol tests on employees. The company should include information like when these tests can be conducted, what are the procedures and what would be the duties of employees.

• The company reserves the right to do a drug and alcohol testing for any employee before he joins the company as a part of the background check.
• The employees are encouraged to cooperate during drug and alcohol testing. The failure to follow the rules can result in disciplinary actions.
• The company reserves the right to take disciplinary action including employee termination in case the test results are not as per the accepted levels.

The above guidelines can be expanded in detail and customized as per the company requirements.

Disciplinary Action

This section should describe the responsibilities and privileges that the company holds in case the employees test positive or are found breaking the guidelines. Since drug and alcohol incidents are serious issues which affect company reputation and brand image, it is a good idea to enforce strict disciplinary actions.

• The company reserves the right to take disciplinary action against any employee who refuses to cooperate during the drug and alcohol testing.
• The company can disciplinary action against any employee who tests positive depending on the severity of the incident.
• The company can withdraw a job offer or terminate employment depending on the seriousness of the incident.

Employee Information and Awareness

This section should include policy guidelines that ensure that the employees are aware of the drug and alcohol policy of the company. There should be a constant communication which addresses employee doubts or informs of any changes in the above-mentioned policy.

• The employees are encouraged to take part in sessions and seminars on drug and alcohol policy information and guidelines every 6 months.

Conclusion

The above sections cover the essential elements of a company drug and alcohol policy. The company can use this above template as a necessary draft to create a more detailed policy guideline. Different sections and guidelines can be customized according to an individual company, state and national regulations or any for any other reason.

A specific drug and alcohol policy ensures that the company is protected from legal ramifications and it also encourages a safe and healthy workplace environment.