A company's drug and alcohol policy should be fair and reasonable, clearly stated, fully explained and understood across the company, and compliant with local, state, and federal law in the areas the company has employees.
Failure to do so may lead to monetary damages and statutory penalties. With marijuana legalization increasing rapidly, and the rise of opioid addiction, state and local laws are changing.
The policy also needs to be clear on what the consequences are if an employee refuses to test, is caught cheating a test, or if the results come back positive. Knowing these consequences can help deter the inappropriate use of drugs and alcohol in the workplace.
Updating your drug testing policy is affordable.
• An average of 29 drug testing bills passed each year between 2014-2016. In 2016 alone, 34 drug testing bills were passed and 14 states amended their existing laws.
• A leading national retail store paid $102,048 in monetary relief as a result of their failure to provide a reasonable accommodation for applicants or employees in the company's drug testing processes.
• Non-compliance with DOT regulations is not only a safety hazard, consider this: DOT employers are liable to the United States for a civil penalty in an amount not to exceed $10,000 for each offense.
Education for employees on the effects of drug and alcohol is important. But it is even more important to train any managers that have staff on reasonable suspicion training.
These managers see the day-to-day interactions and can catch warning signs of workplace drug or alcohol abuse.
CleanFleet offers Reasonable Suspicion Training, DER DATIA Certified Training, and other training classes to companies manager their Drug and Alcohol Policies as best as possible. Visit our Training Page to learn more.
Do you have a company drug and alcohol policy yet? If so, when was the last time you reviewed your policy? CleanFleet can help you develop and review your company's drug and alcohol policies.
Fill out the form or call us today to arrange a consultation with our expert staff at 503-479-6082.
If your policy includes testing, then remember that your service provider should be a good source of information on the practicalities of implementing a drug testing program. If involved early in the policy creation process, the service provider can give valuable help.
CleanFleet can help companies with policy development from the ground up.