Drug and Alcohol Policy NZ Template Guidelines

Companies in New Zealand are legally obligated to provide a safe and healthy working environment for all employees. A safe working environment means efficiently managing safety risks that may endanger the employee and the general public. In addition, safety-critical industries like mining, aviation, construction, and transportation rely on comprehensive workplace testing policies to prevent untoward incidents. Therefore, a workplace drug and alcohol policy helps the company and their employees know their obligations and limitations. Moreover, workers should understand their responsibilities in keeping the workplace safe and the repercussions of non-compliance and misconduct. Companies that want to manage workplace risks effectively must create and implement safety procedures suitable for their organisation. If the company needs help with creating a workplace policy, an excellent way to start is to check for drug and alcohol policy NZ templates.

Drug and Alcohol Policy NZ Template: What to expect?

Various drug and alcohol policy NZ templates available online include essential information. A comprehensive drug and alcohol testing policy should clearly define the purpose, scope, procedures, repercussions of non-negative results, and expected behaviour in the workplace. The workplace testing policies will include testing procedures for pre-employment, post-incident, random testing and reasonable cause. In addition, companies may avail of testing services from accredited testing facilities to conduct onsite drug testing. The employees may be required to submit blood, urine, or saliva samples for examination. For alcohol screening, many businesses use breath testers from Breathalysers New Zealand.

A drug and alcohol policy NZ template may include information on alcohol testing and alternative methods. However, using a breathalyser is an excellent option if you seek a more reliable and convenient way to test for alcohol consumption. Personal and workplace breathalysers from Breathalysers New Zealand can analyse breath samples and produce highly accurate Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) readings within 10 to 15 secs. The perfect example of the ideal breath tester is the SHIELD. It provides the company with a quick and accessible alcohol testing method. The SHIELD offers users two testing modes; passive screening for a pass or failed result and active testing for precise BAC readings.

Drug and Alcohol Policy NZ Template: Developing the Policy

Although various drug and alcohol policy NZ templates are available online, creating and tailoring the policy with the management and employees’ agreement is the best practice. Companies should specify how they will receive complaints, look into incidents or accusations, and respond to these issues with proper action. Moreover, the workplace testing policy should also include education and awareness training programs. Lastly, the policy should include rehabilitation and support to help employees impacted by substance use and abuse at work. The company should use the templates as a guide and develop them while putting the following information in mind:

• Tailor the policy to include the specific needs and requirements of the business.
• Define the specifications while considering the common issues of employees.
• Companies should not focus on punishment alone but emphasise employee assistance and recovery.
• When conducting a drug and alcohol test, specify the conditions and procedures to ensure fair and appropriate testing.
• Various drug and alcohol testing methods should be available to the employee.
• The policy should also include the process that would take place in case of a positive result.

Drug and Alcohol Policy NZ Template: Company and Employee Rights

The drug and alcohol policy NZ templates should always include company and employee rights. The management has the right to check and monitor employees for substance impairments while in the workplace. In addition, companies can submit employees to undergo drug and alcohol testing through a policy or employment agreement. However, the policy must ensure to have a justifiable basis for conducting workplace testing. Moreover, as long as everyone adheres to the guidelines and procedures, it can significantly improve workplace safety and employee morale. 

However, upholding the employees’ privacy is vital. Management must disclose positive drug and alcohol test results to the concerned employee and authorised personnel. In addition, the employer must protect employee confidentiality and privacy of all test results and will take appropriate actions for violations of these rights. In return, the employee also has the right to contest any positive outcome or request a second test for validation. Thus, the drug and alcohol policy NZ template must be fair and respective to both sides.

Are Workplace Policies Important?

With the increasing drug and alcohol use rate, companies implement stricter workplace policies and procedures to tackle these issues head-on. Several New Zealand companies seek drug and alcohol policy NZ templates to help implement effective policies and procedures. For example, the workplace policy enables companies to conduct more frequent workplace drug and alcohol testing and provide employees with education and training. Moreover, the main goal of implementing workplace testing is to improve workplace safety and prevent substance usage, especially during work hours. Fortunately, Breathalysers New Zealand has a wide selection of BACtrack workplace breathalysers perfect for onsite alcohol testing. Companies across NZ can benefit from these alcohol breath testers and keep the work environment free from alcohol impairment.

Alcohol Testing using Breathalysers

A drug and alcohol policy NZ templates should be updated accordingly and will need a reliable alcohol testing method. Additionally, the workplace policies should be more comprehensive than having limited options for drug and alcohol tests and getting results. The company should also include ways to continuously check and monitor employees in the workplace. For example, high-risk industries require constant alcohol screening to ensure that employees are all fit to work and unimpaired by alcohol. The ideal tool for monitoring alcohol use in the workplace would be BACtrack breathalysers. Moreover, the BACtrack pro-grade devices from Breathalyser New Zealand measure the exact BAC levels.

Furthermore, the drug and alcohol policy template can specify the importance and benefits of implementing alcohol testing using breathalysers. The BACtrack pro-grade devices utilise fuel cell sensors to provide consistent and accurate BAC readings. In addition, fuel cell sensors only react to ethanol and less to other substances. Therefore, the BACtrack fuel cell breathalysers are less likely to produce false-positive results. Moreover, these devices feature the same sensor technology found in law enforcement officers’ breathalysers. Breathalysers NZ offers the following reliable workplace breathalysers:

• BACtrack Mobile Gen2
• BACtrack S80 Pro Gen2
• SHIELD Express
• Alcovisor Mercury 
• Touchscreen Alcovisor Alcotorch

Conclusion

In conclusion, a drug and alcohol policy NZ template needs the cooperation of the management, the employees and testing facilities to be effective. In addition, a comprehensive drug and alcohol testing policy can significantly help with improving risk management. Moreover, it enables the company to maintain a safe working space effectively. To provide reliable and accurate alcohol testing equipment in the workplace, Breathalysers NZ ensures that all products meet the standards for an effective alcohol tester. The workplace breathalysers at Breathalysers NZ have AS/NZ 3547 certification. Therefore, BACtrack pro breathalysers are reliable alcohol testing devices. Breathalysers New Zealand offers a wide range of pro-grade units perfect for high-volume testing that provide consistent and precise results.