What should be in my employer's drugs or alcohol policy?

The Health and Safety Executive advises that employers should adopt a drugs and alcohol policy in consultation with staff. A policy should include information on how the organisation expects employees to limit their drinking, how problem drinking will be recognised and what help will be offered, and the circumstances where an employees drinking would be treated as a disciplinary matter rather than a health problem.

The Health and Safety Executive's model policy on drug misuse contains:

• a statement of the policy's aims, and to whom it applies
• an indication of who is responsible for carrying out the policy
• a definition of drug misuse
• rules about how employees are expected to behave
• safeguards making it clear that absence for treatment and rehabilitation is covered by normal sickness absence, and recognition that relapses may occur
• assurance that employees with drug problems will be treated in confidence, subject to the law
• a description of support available to employees with drug problems, and a statement encouraging employees with drug problems to seek help voluntarily
• a commitment to providing all employees with general information about drugs and their impact on health and safety
• details of the disciplinary procedures, for example stating that possession/dealing will be automatically reported to the police