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#1 Posted : 11 August 2004 15:21:00(UTC)
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Posted By mike grey
Is there anybody out there with a Substance and Alcohol Policy that they are willing to share with an acute NHS Trust. Any gudance or advicve would be gratefully received.
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#2 Posted : 11 August 2004 15:44:00(UTC)
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Posted By George Wedgwood
Try this:

3:34 Alcohol and Drug Misuse Policy

34.1 Intent

34.1.1 The Company is committed to a workplace that is safe and without significant risk to health for all employees, and those who may be affected by its activities. The Company recognises that substance misuse, particularly alcohol and drugs, is a societal problem which can have potentially serious consequences for the health, safety and efficiency of personnel at work but is committed to minimising such effects to a zero incident level.

34.1.1 The Company has introduced this Policy to ensure that reasonable measures are in place to ensure that the misuse of drugs, alcohol or substances by employees or others engaged by The Company does not increase risks to persons, affect operational performance or otherwise adversely affect the Company.

34.2 Actions – The Company Will;

34.2.1 ensure that all employees and contractors are aware of their Policy on drug and alcohol misuse,
34.2.2 provide drug and alcohol misuse awareness training to all employees and contractors prior to commencing employment and refresh this at periodic intervals as appropriate,
34.2.3 provide a random drug and alcohol testing facility for employees as required by specific contract agreements,
34.2.4 implement a drug screening and testing regime if assessment and experience demonstrates this to be an effective additional control measure,
34.2.5 record any instances of drug or alcohol misuse.

34.3 Responsibilities

34.3.1 Directors have the responsibility to ensure that this Policy is implemented through accompanying Company Guidance.
34.3.2 Employees of The Company have the responsibility to comply with this Policy and ensure that they do not misuse drugs or alcohol whilst at work, or immediately prior to attending work.
34.3.3 Contractors to The Company have the responsibility to observe their own relevant conditions of contract, employer rules and The Company’s Policy on Drug and Alcohol Misuse.
34.3.4 The Health and Safety Manager has the responsibility to ensure that this Policy is reviewed periodically.

34.4 General Rules

34.4.1 No alcohol, drugs or other substances shall be brought onto, be used or misused, within any of the Company’s undertakings, unless as part of an individual’s approved medical treatment programme.
34.4.2 Employees or contractors at work judged to be under the influence of, or using or misusing, alcohol, drugs or other substances, or whose performance is judged to be impaired by alcohol, drugs or other substances, will be in breach of this Policy and be subject to investigation and the Company Disciplinary Procedure. The Company will have no alternative but to report employees or contractors in clear breach of this Policy to the Police.
34.4.3 The Company will comply, and expect employees to comply, with any Client’s policy concerning alcohol and drug misuse during the term of any contract or provision of services to a Client. Any breach of such a policy will be dealt with as if it were a breach of this Policy.
34.4.4 Any Company employee who is aware of a personal drug or alcohol problem must immediately bring this to the notice of a Company manager.
34.4.5 Company employees will be subject to a drug and alcohol screening and testing regime as implemented by a Company manager if there are reasonable grounds for suspicion that a risk may exist or be developing.

34.5 Interpretation

34.5.1 Alcohol, drug or substance misuse means the prior use, consumption, inhalation, ingestion, injection or absorption of any substance that could affect the normal functioning of a person by adversely affecting their behaviour, manner, actions, co-ordination, mental acuity, speech or concentration whilst performing their duties at work and potentially giving rise to increased risk for themselves and any others who may be affected by their activities. Drug misuse refers also to the use of illegal drugs and the misuse (deliberate or unintentional) of prescribed drugs and substances such as solvents. Alcohol, drugs or substances will be referred to as ‘substance’ for the rest of this Policy.
34.5.2 Substance means any material including alcohol, illicit or controlled drugs, prescribed drugs being used outside of a medical practitioner’s prescription, or prescribed drugs likely to affect a person’s physical aptitude, acuity, ability or behaviour that have not been declared to an Company manager beforehand.
34.5.3 Approved means sanctioned by a Company manager in writing.

34.6 Awareness, Education and Discipline

34.6.1 The Company recognises that prevention and early recognition of substance misuse, with prompt intervention in a managed way, can help to minimise risks, both to affected individuals and to others who may be affected by their actions. In managing such risks, Company managers will encourage employees with a problem to seek help voluntarily. Managers will seek competent advice in accordance with this Policy, and implement advised controls with discretion.
34.6.2 Employees will have awareness training in drugs and alcohol misuse and in this Company Policy, and the legal issues surrounding the management of such risk in the workplace. The Company Disciplinary Procedure for Policy breaches will also be explained.
34.6.3 Every employee will have access to impartial advice and referral for counselling on substance misuse. In the first instance, contact may be made with the Personnel Department, who will ensure that the matter is dealt with confidentially.

34.7 Review and Visibility

34.7.1 This Policy will be reviewed one year from the date of issue.
34.7.2 This Policy will be included in the Company Health and Safety Handbook for managers, displayed at all Company places of work and brought to the notice of all employees and contractors.


Hope you find this helpful and you will recognise that you need to set up a contract to help manage the testing, arrange a confidential recording system, agree training and inform employees of the policy and budget for the changes to take place. Regards, George
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#3 Posted : 11 August 2004 15:57:00(UTC)
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Posted By mike grey
Thank you George, this is very helpful and gives me somwhere to start. Have you had the need to enforce this policy and was it successfull ?

Regards
Mike
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#4 Posted : 11 August 2004 16:11:00(UTC)
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Posted By Kieran J Duignan
Much appreciation for George's contribution on this very delicate area.

May I suggest that the wording of the section on Awareness and Education should include carefully-worded references to 'motivation' and 'self-motivation'; this is not to suggest that 'disciplinary' matters should be avoided should the need arise, but setting out the motivational framework which discipline also relies on if the employee's services are going to be retained (which is often seen as commercially necessary when the employee is a sales person and/or manager).
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#5 Posted : 11 August 2004 19:42:00(UTC)
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Posted By Zoe Barnett
Whoa! Before you implement any drugs testing procedures you need to think very very carefully. These are the sort of issues that have to be considered - most refer to illegal drugs but alcohol can be included in some:

People who live with drug misusing partners, but who do not have any misuse problems themselves can still be identified in tests such as hair analysis or by sniffer dogs

Who will you be testing - for credibility you need to include all ranks of the workforce and what do you do if the MD is identified?

How will you ensure you do not get problems with cross-contamination, substitution?

How will you deal with staff whose substance misuse is of a legal substance such as painkillers?

What about the joint that was puffed in the employee's own time, the effects of which have worn off but the presence of which is still detectable?

Early evidence in schools shows that young people are more likely to avoid school on days when there is the possibility that tests will take place. Workplaces are rumour factories and you may well see a rise in absenteeism - even amongst those who are not using, but who fear the false positive.

You will have to work out what your policy will be if someone is falsely identified - especially if their confidentiality is breached (for instance if they are identified publicly).

It would be good practice to have available some sort of support system for anyone who may be identified during tests or who may disclose that they are vulnerable to substance misuse.

Last but not least if you are thinking about the use of dogs you will need to be aware that they are "unclean" to many communities; they can be easily misled by other scents such as may be found in a workplace; and it is difficult to use them discreetly.

If you would like to discuss this in more detail please contact me and I'll be happy to help (in case you're wondering, one of my hats is responsibility for drugs education and these issues are becoming increasingly problematic in schools).
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