Alcohol, Drugs & Solvent Abuse Policy - May 2015
Alcohol, Drugs & Solvent Abuse Policy
Policy
It is the policy of ACVO (the “Organisation”) to ensure and maintain a safe and healthy
working environment for all its employees and to reduce the incidence of injury to
person or property.
The Organisation recognises the potential dangers of alcohol, drug and solvent abuse,
to both the individual, the Organisation and third party colleagues.
The Organisation aims to prevent, where possible, alcohol, drug and solvent abuse
amongst employees and to detect at an early stage employees with problems.
The Organisation may offer assistance such as counselling or leave of absence from
work if required for treatment to an employee who comes forward. There may be,
however, some instances when this offer may not be appropriate and managers must
assess each case individually.
This Policy does not form part of the contract of employment of any employee and the
Organisation reserves the right to change this at any time.
Definitions
The following definitions are given for the purposes of the Organisation’s Alcohol, Drugs
and Solvent Abuse Policy:
‘Under the influence’ means that there is a sufficient amount of the substance in the
employee’s system to produce a positive test result from a medical test or breathalyser
unit and/or that the employee shows erratic abnormal behaviour likely to pose a risk to
themselves or others or to interfere with their job performance.
A “substance” is defined as a material that chemically modifies the body’s functions
resulting in physical, psychological or behavioural change.
A “prohibited substance” means a controlled drug as defined in the Misuse of Drugs Act
1971 or any other substance including prescription and over-the-counter medication
taken in such a manner as to impair the individual.
These include, but are not limited to:

Cannabinoids

Cocaine

Opiates

Amphetamines

Barbiturates

Benzodiazapine

Phencyclidine
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Alcohol, Drugs & Solvent Abuse Policy - May 2015

Propoxyphene

Methadone

Solvent or solvent based products

Alcohol
“Substance abuse” means the use of a prohibited substance as defined above.
“Positive test result” for the purposes of alcohol means the presence at a level higher
than 40 milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood (i.e. half the UK “drink driving” limit)] OR
[80 milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood (i.e. the UK “drink driving” limit).
Organisation premises means all property owned, operated, leased by or otherwise
under control, in whole or part of the Organisation.
Reference to testing for substance abuse includes testing by the Organisation or its
clients.
Rules
To ensure the protection of its employees, contractors, operations, assets and the
localities in which it operates, the Organisation prohibits possession, use, consumption
(except where permitted below in relation to alcohol), concealment, promotion or sale of
all prohibited substances in the workplace, in Organisation vehicles, on client premise or
at the worksite, or during working hours, and requires employees, workers and
contractors to be free from such prohibited substances and their effects upon entering
Organisation premises. They must not report for work under the influence of a
prohibited substance. Non-compliance with this policy will be considered a serious
disciplinary offence which may lead to disciplinary action up to and including dismissal
for gross misconduct.
If an employee is suspected of being under the influence, they may be required to
undertake a test and/or may be sent home. They may also be subject to action under
the Organisation’s disciplinary procedure up to and including dismissal for gross
misconduct if they refuse to undertake a test as well as for being under the influence.
The Organisation may at its entire discretion allow the consumption of alcohol during
official Organisation events, client entertaining or other business networking events.
Personnel must exert moderation in the consumption of alcoholic beverages during
such events and any violations or abuse of this concession will result in disciplinary
action being taken and the possible withdrawal of this concession.
Employees are reminded that in circumstances where they are representing the
Organisation, the image and reputation of the Organisation must be upheld at all times
and employees should conduct themselves accordingly. If at any time it is felt that the
Organisation’s reputation is adversely affected, or that due to the consumption of
alcohol the health or safety of any persons or property of the Organisation is threatened,
that employee may face disciplinary action up to and including dismissal for gross
misconduct.
Employees must not encourage others to misuse alcohol or drugs.
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Alcohol, Drugs & Solvent Abuse Policy - May 2015
Establishing the Problem
Managers should be aware that substance abuse by employees may come to light in
various ways. The following characteristics, especially when arising in combinations,
may indicate the presence of a substance problem.
Absenteeism

Instances of unauthorised leave

Frequent Friday and/or Monday absences

Leaving work early

Lateness (especially on returning from lunch)

Excessive level of sickness absence

Strange and increasingly suspicious reasons for absence

Unusually high level of sickness for colds, flu, stomach upsets

Unscheduled short-term absences, with or without explanation.
High Accident Level

at work, elsewhere, e.g. driving, at home.
Work Performance

difficulty in concentration

work requires increased effort

individual tasks take more time

deterioration in quality of work

problems with remembering instructions or own mistakes.
Mood Swings

irritability

nervousness

aggression

depression

general confusion
Self-Referral
In some instances, employees may come forward voluntarily and seek help themselves.
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Alcohol, Drugs & Solvent Abuse Policy - May 2015
Treatment and Assistance
The Organisation will try and assist those employees who come forward voluntarily with
any substance abuse problem. Line managers who suspect one of their employees of
having a substance abuse problem should approach the individual informally in the first
instance. The Organisation will support employees who are trying to overcome a
substance abuse problem and employees should be informed of outside agencies
where professional help can be obtained.
The Organisation will treat all relevant discussions in strict confidence. However, if such
employees fail to complete a prescribed course of treatment or have a relapse following
treatment, the matter may be dealt with under the Organisation’s Disciplinary
Procedure.
Where appropriate, the Organisation may refer the employee for an occupational health
assessment.
Where employees acknowledge that they have a problem and are given help and
treatment, this will be on the understanding that:

The Organisation will give employees, assessed as having a substance abuse
problem, reasonable time off in accordance with the Organisation’s Absence
Policy. Where employees are unfit for work, they should provide Fitnotes from their
GP to cover the period of absence. In the event that employees require time off
work to attend counselling with external agencies, every effort should be made to
attend these appointments outwith working hours. Alternatively, the Organisation
may agree to unpaid time off in line with their policy on medical appointments

Whilst the Organisation will provide support, employees must maintain acceptable
standards of performance and conduct during any period of rehabilitation and
absence must be reasonable
Every effort should be made to ensure that on completion of the recovery programme
employees are able to return to the same or equivalent work. However, where such a
return would jeopardise either a satisfactory level of job performance or the employee's
recovery, the appropriate member of the management team will review the full
circumstances surrounding the case and agree with the employee a course of action to
be taken. This may include the offer of suitable alternative employment, or termination
of employment on the grounds of capability. Before a decision on dismissal is made, it
should be discussed with the employee and an up-to-date medical opinion obtained.
Relapse
Where an employee, having received treatment, suffers a relapse, the Organisation will
consider the individual circumstances of the case. Medical advice will be sought in an
attempt to ascertain how much more treatment/rehabilitation time is likely to be required
for a full recovery. At the Organisation's entire discretion, more treatment or
rehabilitation time may be given in order to help the employee to recover fully.
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Alcohol, Drugs & Solvent Abuse Policy - May 2015
Recovery Unlikely
If, after the employee has received treatment, recovery seems unlikely, the Organisation
may be unable to support the employee any longer. In such cases, dismissal due to
capability may be considered.
Drug Screening Programme
Procedure
Employees may be required to submit to a test to check for the presence of drugs or
alcohol under the following circumstances:

Following an accident or incident on Organisation or client premises, or involving a
Organisation vehicle;

Following the discovery of a prohibited substance on Organisation premises which
is directly associated with the individual employee e.g. their desk;

Where there is reason to suspect that the employee may be under the influence of
a prohibited substance;

Where it is suspected there has been a breach of the policy, e.g. high individual
accident experience, excessive absenteeism, observed erratic behaviour and/or
deteriorating job performance.
Refusal to Take a Drugs Test
If the employee refuses to take a drugs test the employee will be subject to action under
the Organisation’s disciplinary procedure up to and including dismissal.
Release of Test Results
It is a condition of employment that all employees agree to the release of the results of
screening for prohibited substances as required.
Right of Search
The Organisation reserves the right to search the person, his/her possessions and or
immediate work area of any employee or third party personnel who work, visit or
perform services on Organisation premises. Individuals have the right to have a work
colleague present at such a search if requested.
Prescribed Medication
As a separate issue, where an employee has been prescribed medication by their GP
that may have health and safety implications at work, or may otherwise affect their
ability to carry out their full range of duties, they should advise their manager. Such
information will be treated with the utmost confidentiality and sensitivity.
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