Preloaded UK policy

Alcohol & Drug Policy template

Prohibited conduct, testing (where applicable), support for dependency and disciplinary consequences.

Legal basis
  • Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
  • Transport and Works Act 1992 (transport roles)
Last reviewed April 2025. Guidance, not legal advice.

What the policy covers

  1. 1. POLICY STATEMENT
    The misuse of alcohol or drugs poses a serious risk to the health, safety and wellbeing of employees and others.
  2. 3. CONSTRUCTION AND SAFETY-CRITICAL ROLES
    For employees working in safety-critical roles — including plant operators, those working at height, those driving vehicles and those working with hazardous substances — the thresh
  3. 4. MEDICATION
    Employees taking prescribed medication that may affect their ability to work safely must inform their line manager in confidence before starting work.
  4. 5. TESTING
    your company …] Testing will be carried out by a qualified third-party provider.
  5. 6. SUPPORT
    your company recognises that alcohol or drug dependency is a health condition.
  6. 7. DISCIPLINARY CONSEQUENCES
    Attending work impaired, possessing illegal substances on site, or refusing to submit to testing where required is gross misconduct and may result in summary dismissal.

Who needs it

Any UK employer who wants absence handled the same way every time, and to be seen to take health seriously.

Questions people ask

Is a alcohol & drug policy a legal requirement?

It rests on Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and Transport and Works Act 1992 (transport roles). Some policies must be written down once a business reaches a certain size or does certain work; others are simply how a tribunal, an inspector or a client's auditor expects to see that you have thought about it. A clear, dated, signed policy is the evidence either way. Guidance, not legal advice.

Can I change it to suit how we work?

Yes. Inside Work-Lynx it is a starting point: put your company name in, adjust the arrangements to what you actually do, set the review date and publish it. Staff read and acknowledge it on their phones, and you can see who has not.

Is it up to date?

Last reviewed April 2025. The pack is updated when the law moves, and every policy carries a review date so it does not quietly go stale.

How do I get it?

It is preloaded in Work-Lynx with the other 48 UK policies. Work-Lynx is £2.50 a month plus £1 per employee, 14 days free, no card, and what you see on the pricing page is the bill.

Who is it for?

Any UK employer who wants absence handled the same way every time, and to be seen to take health seriously.

All 49 UK policies, £2.50 a month

This policy and 48 others are already in Work-Lynx, alongside GPS clock-in, rotas, timesheets, leave and Employ AI for UK employment law. £2.50 base plus £1 per employee a month. 14 days free, no card, no sales call.

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