Recognizing Drug and Alcohol Abuse

• Course Description
• Learning Objectives
• Course Map
• Implementation Details
• Course Materials

Course Description

Every employer has a responsibility to provide a safe work environment for its employees. Many employers are also responsible for the safety of others, including customers, suppliers, and even the general public. When safety is compromised because an employee is under the influence of drugs or alcohol, the employer is potentially liable for any resulting harm. Supervisors are responsible for understanding and enforcing the organization’s policies on drugs and alcohol in the workplace.

This course shows supervisors how to recognize and evaluate the signs of impairment due to drug and alcohol abuse. The course covers different types of drugs, requirements for reasonable suspicion, rules for drug and alcohol testing, and how to respond to test results.

Learning Objectives​​​​

• Recognize a supervisor’s responsibility to understand and enforce relevant policies on addiction and abuse in the workplace
• Review the rules for drug and alcohol testing
• Define legal and illegal substances in the workplace
• Credibly evaluate whether there is reasonable suspicion of drug or alcohol abuse
• Identify signs of substance abuse and symptoms of impairment in employees
• How to respond appropriately when there is reasonable suspicion
• Review the proper procedures for documenting incidents of abuse or investigations and how to follow up on incidents while keeping employees’ rights in mind
• Recognize a supervisor’s duty to respond immediately if they suspect an employee of being under the influence of drugs or alcohol in the workplace

Course Map

Module 1: Introduction

This module provides a brief introduction to the course content, including the thought behind the course’s usage of person-first language.

• 2 Customizable Content Pages
• 1 Custom Video Page

Module 2: Recognizing Drug and Alcohol Abuse

In this module, supervisors will review their responsibility to understand and enforce the organization’s policies on drugs and alcohol in the workplace.

Module 3: Reasonable Suspicion of Drug Use

In this module, supervisors will review the risks of legal and illegal substances, the definition of reasonable suspicion, and how to identify evidence that may qualifies that reasonable suspicion.

Module 4: When Reasonable Suspicion Exists

In this module, supervisors will review what next steps to take when reasonable suspicion exists, and how to respect an employee’s rights while doing so.

Module 5: Policies and Resources

This module provides a brief conclusion and summary of the course content.

• 4 Custom Policies
• 1 Customizable Content Page
• 1 Custom Video Page

Implementation Details

Course Materials

• Two-Pager
• Course Outline
• Workplace Training Configurations Setup Guide