Policy & Procedure

Section: Health and Safety

Subject: Use of Drugs and Alcohol

PURPOSE:
Saint Joseph's College’s policy is to maintain a work environment that is free from substance abuse Saint Joseph's College has developed this policy out of concern for employees' physical and mental health, workplace safety and productivity, and the College's status and reputation.

This policy in combination with the Drug-Free Schools and Workplace policy is intended to provide clear and consistent procedures for handling incidents of employee use of alcohol, drugs, or other controlled substances while on duty.

POLICY:
It is the policy of the College that employees shall not possess, consume or be under the influence of alcohol or drugs during the workday, including rest periods and meal periods. These restrictions hold true for employees who are serving in a paid on-call capacity. While on call, an employee must refrain from all alcohol consumption.

Notwithstanding this, there may be certain College functions, removed from the usual work setting, at which it is permissible to consume alcohol in moderation, with management approval.

Except for the situation outlined above, employees who use or are under the influence of illegal drugs and/or alcohol during work time will be subjected to disciplinary action up to and including discharge.

On duty employees who are suspected of being under the influence of alcohol will be required to submit to a breath alcohol test. The College has a zero tolerance policy. A positive reading of .02 or above will be considered a violation of this policy. The employee will be suspended immediately. The Human Resource Director will review the facts of the incident and decide on appropriate disciplinary action.

All suspensions resulting from this policy will be without pay unless otherwise provided by state or federal law.

PROCEDURE:
Alcohol
1. Any employee reporting for work that is suspected of being under the influence of alcohol or drugs will be asked to report to the Office of Security.

2. If any employee is concerned about another staff member, they should contact the Director of Security or his designee and report their concerns. Security will then follow according to this policy. A report will be forwarded to the Human Resource Director.

2. The Director of Security or his designee will contact the employee’s direct supervisor and report the concern. The supervisor will report to the Security Office and witness the testing.

3. The Director of Security or his designee will then personally ask the suspected employee to return to the Security Office with him/her.

5. If Alcohol is suspected, the employee will be required to submit to a breath alcohol test. The Director of Security or his designee will administer the breathalyzer test. A reading of .02 or higher will be considered a violation of this policy.

6. Any employee whose breath alcohol reading is .02 or above will be suspended without pay by their supervisor. The suspension will remain in effect until the incident has been reviewed by the Human Resource Director.

7. Any employee who refused to take a breath alcohol test will be deemed in violation of this policy and be subject to disciplinary action.

8. The College values safety above all and would not want any employee to drive under the influence. However, any on-call employee who is called to report to work and states that he/she is under the influence of alcohol and is unable to report for work will be subject to disciplinary action for violation of this policy.

Illegal Drugs
1. Any employee reporting for work that is suspected of being under the influence drugs will be asked to report to the Office of Security.

2. The Director of Security or his designee will contact the employee’s direct supervisor and the Human Resource Director. They will report to the Security Office.

3. The supervisor and/or Human Resource Director will assess the capability of the employee to work safely and take the appropriate action which may include taking the employee off work time and/or disciplinary action.

December 2004