Smoking policies, drugs and alcohol abuse

Introduction

Smoking, drugs and alcohol abuse can significantly undermine your business' performance and damage workplace morale.

Staff with a drug or alcohol problem may take time off sick or have unexplained absences, and they may also abuse or even endanger fellow workers.

Drug and alcohol use can also pose a serious risk to workplace safety, particularly for workers whose job involves tasks such as operating machinery or driving a vehicle.

As part of your responsibilities for health and safety, under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 it's a good idea to draw up clear policies on smoking, drugs and alcohol abuse and to make sure that these are followed carefully.

This guide outlines how to identify and deal with problems in these areas. It also explains the need to put in place both support services and disciplinary procedures.

Subjects covered in this guide

• Introduction
• Define policies on smoking, drugs and alcohol abuse
• Smoking policies
• Dealing with alcohol abuse
• Dealing with drug abuse
• Manage stress effectively
• Counselling and support
• Checklist: what your smoking, drug and alcohol abuse policies should cover
• Discipline, grievance and dismissal procedures