Drugs & Alcohol

  • Policies on drugs and alcohol.  All vehicle-using organisations should have clear policies to avoid impairment of driver fitness due to substances taken for recreational or therapeutic reasons. 
  • Drugs and alcohol
    • Educate your drivers about the dangers of drink and drugs in the drivers handbook.
    • Explain in employees' contracts that it is a disciplinary offence to be over the legal alcohol limit or to be impaired through drug use while at work, either on the road or off it. Include prescription drugs and over-the-counter medicines (e.g. some hay fever medication) that affect driving as well as illegal drugs.
    • Ban lunchtime drinking for all staff who may be required to undertake any safety critical function, including driving.
    • Take particular care to explain to drivers the amount of time it takes alcohol to leave the blood stream as well as the dangers of driving the morning after.
    • Apply a zero-tolerance policy for alcohol in your company; alcohol can even impair a driver, who is under the legal limit; the easiest way to test for alcohol is using a breath test.
    • Advise employees who drive to notify their immediate line manager if they are taking any prescribed drugs or over-the-counter medicine that affects driving, e.g. by causing drowsiness.
    • Physical drug testing can be carried out using urine, saliva, sweat or blood. Before testing, a consent form must be signed by the person being tested. However, it is also possible to be trained to recognise symptoms of drug use and drug impairment as a form of screening.
    • Some companies are now testing their drivers pre-employment, randomly throughout their employment or after crashes.