Alcohol & Drug Policy template

2. Policy statement

Nobody may work for {{org.name}} while impaired by alcohol or drugs. Nobody may drink alcohol during working hours outside authorised events, or bring illegal drugs onto our premises. We will support anyone who tells us they have a dependency problem and seeks help; we will use the disciplinary policy when the rules are broken.

3. Definitions

• Impaired: not fit to perform your role safely and competently, whatever the substance or amount involved.
• Working hours: any time you are working, on call, or driving on business, including paid breaks — not only time on site.
• Safety-critical work: [list roles — e.g. driving, operating machinery, working at height, caring for vulnerable people] where impairment could injure someone.
• Authorised events: occasions where [senior role] has approved moderate alcohol, such as [examples].

4. Responsibilities

• Policy owner ([name/role]): keeps this policy current and decides, with advice, how borderline cases are handled.
• Managers: act immediately on signs of impairment — never let someone work it off — and record what they observed at the time.
• All staff: come to work fit, disclose impairing medication, and raise concerns about a colleague rather than covering for them.

5. The rules

• Do not work, drive on business, or attend client sites while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
• Do not drink alcohol during working hours except at authorised events — and never before safety-critical work, including returning to it later the same day.
• Do not possess, use, or supply illegal drugs on {{org.name}} premises or in company vehicles at any time.
• If prescribed or over-the-counter medication may cause drowsiness or affect your work, tell [manager/named role] before starting work. We will adjust duties where needed — disclosure is never punished.
• If a manager judges someone unfit to work, they will be sent home safely — by [taxi/arranged transport], never driving themselves — and the matter reviewed on the next working day.

6. Support and self-referral

Anyone who tells us they have a problem with alcohol or drugs before it surfaces through an incident or investigation will be supported: a confidential conversation with [named role], adjusted duties where appropriate, time off for treatment handled under our absence arrangements, and the situation kept to those who need to know.

Coming forward is not a free pass for conduct that has already endangered someone, but it always counts in a person's favour and shifts the emphasis from discipline to recovery.

7. Testing (delete this section if you do not test)

Where testing operates, it is limited to [circumstances — e.g. safety-critical roles, post-incident, reasonable suspicion], carried out by [accredited provider], with the individual's consent, and with results handled confidentially under our data protection policy. Refusing a test without good reason is itself treated as a disciplinary matter. Take advice and check current HSE guidance before introducing any testing programme.

8. Breaches, records and review

Breaches are handled under the disciplinary policy. Working while impaired in a safety-critical role, or possessing or supplying illegal drugs at work, will normally be treated as gross misconduct. Where dependency emerges during the process, we will pause and consider support before deciding the outcome.

Records of incidents, referrals, and any test results are held confidentially in [system/location], with access limited to [roles]. This policy is reviewed [frequency] and after any incident involving impairment. Owner: [name/role]. Next review: [date].