Drugs & Alcohol Policy

OSL will ensure that its employees and contractors are made aware of the requirements of this Drugs & Alcohol Policy and will provide adequate resources to comply with the Transport and Works Act 1992, Misuse of Drugs Act, Network Rail Standard – NR/L2/OHS/00120 Drugs, Alcohol and Substance Abuse in the Workplace and Transport for London Company Policy for testing for Drugs & Alcohol.

OSL will always comply with Network Rail’s Drugs and Alcohol Policy and Client expectations as a minimum.

OSL operate a zero-tolerance policy for any individual being under the influence of drugs at work (other than prescribed levels of medication or over the counter medication, subject to certain safeguards) and being unfit through alcohol consumption.

It is a requirement of OSL that no employee or contractor shall:

• Report or endeavor to report for duty under the influence of drugs, medication or having just consumed alcohol.
• Prescribed or over the counter medication are reported to the employee’s line manager prior to reporting for duty / work.
• The above Line Managers contact the HSQE Team to arrange for approval / consultation with the OSL occupational health provider.
• Report for duty in an unfit state due to the use of drugs or alcohol
• Be in possession of illegal drugs in the workplace
• Consume illegal drugs or alcohol whilst on duty.

OSL will not tolerate any departure from this policy and will take the appropriate disciplinary action in the event of any infringement in accordance with the OSL Disciplinary Procedure.

A programme of screening has been put in place to:

• Detect the use of drugs or alcohol prior to employment / appointment
• Detect the use of drugs or alcohol of existing employees and contractors using random screening ensuring that 20% of the work force as a minimum is tested between 1st April to the 31st of January each year.
• Detect the use of drugs or alcohol by any person(s) involved in an accident, incident, near miss or close call where there are grounds to suspect that drugs and/or alcohol could be a contributing factor, this is conducted through post incident / for-cause screening.
• Detect the use of drugs and/or alcohol where behavioural abnormalities prompt managerial intervention (which may include for-cause screening)

A refusal to submit to testing shall lead to a positive result being recorded and shall be dealt with in accordance with the OSL Disciplinary Procedure.

If an individual believes he/she has an alcohol misuse related problem, they shall consult with their Line Manager or Human Resources as soon as possible advising of such. This will be treated in confidence and support / assistance provided by OSL. In such circumstances the individual must continue with any rehabilitation programme agreed.

This Policy will be monitored for effectiveness through internal audit and be revised as necessary.

Review of this Policy will take place at least annually or where instigated by changes to legislation, standards or accident / incident recommendations.