Drug and alcohol policy template
This is a safety document before it is a disciplinary one. The useful version says what a manager does at 7pm when somebody is not fit to be on the floor, which is the moment every one of these policies is written for.
| Section | What the policy says |
|---|---|
| Purpose | To keep everybody safe by making sure people at work are fit to do their job. |
| Who it applies to | Everybody who works here, including employees, casuals, contractors and volunteers, and including managers and the owner. |
| The rule | Do not come to work affected by alcohol or other drugs, and do not use them during a shift or on a break. That includes the last hour before a shift starts. |
| Why the rule exists | This workplace has hot surfaces, knives, wet floors and machinery, and everybody here relies on the person next to them. Being affected at work is a safety risk to you and to other people, which is why it is treated as a safety matter rather than a private one. |
| Prescribed and pharmacy medicine | If you are taking something prescribed or bought over the counter that could affect your work, tell the manager on duty before your shift. You do not have to say what the condition is. The shift can usually be arranged around it. |
| Work functions and knock off drinks | At a work function, drink sensibly and get home safely. The code of conduct still applies at a work function. If you are rostered the next morning, that is your responsibility to manage. |
| If you are not fit to work | Tell the manager on duty rather than starting the shift. Saying so is treated as the safe thing to do, and it is dealt with more seriously if you do not. |
| What a manager does | Take you off the floor, talk with you privately, and arrange for you to go home safely. The conversation about what happens next takes place on another day, not that night. |
| Getting home | We will call you a taxi or a rideshare and you are not to drive. The cost is sorted out afterwards. |
| Getting help | If alcohol or other drugs are becoming a problem, tell the owner. That conversation is confidential, and asking for help is treated differently from being sent home twice. |
| Testing | We do not carry out drug or alcohol testing. If that ever changes, it will be written into this policy, explained, and discussed with staff before it starts. |
| Breaches | Being affected at work may result in disciplinary action. Being affected while doing something safety critical, or supplying to a colleague, is serious misconduct and may result in dismissal. |
| Review date | Reviewed each year in March. |
What is in the file
- Template, blank, with each section down the side and room for the answer.
- Example, the same sheet filled in for Harbourside Coffee.
- How to use, with the steps and the mistakes below.
How to fill it in
- Write the "what a manager does" section first, and make sure every manager has read it. That is the part that gets used.
- Separate asking for help from being caught. A policy with only a punishment in it teaches people to hide it.
- Only include testing if you actually intend to test. Testing has its own legal and privacy issues and should not be in a policy as a bluff.
- Check the award and any licence conditions for your trade, since some roles have rules this policy cannot override.
Common mistakes
- A policy that is only a list of consequences, with nothing about what happens on the night
- Sending somebody home to drive themselves, which turns a workplace problem into a road one
- Copying a testing regime from a mining or transport policy into a cafe, where it has no basis
What changes by trade
The law behind this document is the same wherever you trade, so the wording above is written once. What changes is what the trade puts in front of it.
| Pubs and clubs | Staff are surrounded by alcohol and patrons buy rounds. Say plainly that staff do not drink on shift even when a patron buys it, because that is a licence condition and not a matter of judgement. rostering a pub or club |
| Cafes and restaurants | The knock off drink after a close is where the line blurs. Say when a shift is actually over, and that it is over before anybody drinks. rostering a restaurant |
| Security | Licence conditions and client site rules both apply on top of this. Say that a guard who is stood down tells the operations centre, not only the site supervisor. rostering a security business |
| Disability and home care | Workers drive between appointments and administer or prompt medication. The fitness for work standard is higher, and the prescribed medicine conversation matters more. rostering disability support |
| Childcare | Supervision of children cannot be shared with anybody who is not fit. Say that a concern is raised with the director immediately, and note the service’s own obligations. rostering an early learning service |
| Trades | Plant, heights and vehicles make this a site safety rule rather than an office one. Say who can stand somebody down and who has to be told. rostering a trades crew |
Sources
The official pages this wording was read against, on 22 September 2026.
When a spreadsheet stops being enough
Sending somebody home mid shift leaves a hole in the roster and a timesheet that no longer matches it. Roster Flow lets the manager change the shift and record why, so payroll on Monday does not have to guess.
Questions
What is on the drug and alcohol policy template?
13 sections down the side, running from purpose to review date. The example beside them is filled in for Harbourside Coffee: fit for work, prescribed medicine, and what a manager does about somebody who is not.
Does the drug and alcohol policy template work anything out for you?
No. It is a document with 13 sections to answer in your own words, not a calculator. Nothing on it is a formula.
Can I use the drug and alcohol policy template in Google Sheets?
Yes. Open drug-and-alcohol-policy.xlsx from Google Drive, or use File, then Import, then Upload with drug-and-alcohol-policy.csv. The document and its example come across either way.
Is the wording in the drug and alcohol policy template ready to use as it is?
The drug and alcohol policy template is a starting point for Harbourside Coffee or any business like it, to adapt rather than sign. The wording was checked against the official sources on 22 September 2026, it is not legal advice, and it has not been through a workplace relations professional.