Substance Misuse in the Workplace Training
Practical training to help you create a safe, supportive workplace that is free from substance misuse.
This isn’t about policing your employees. It’s about having a clear, preventive strategy: sensible policies, a supportive culture, safe working environments and compliance with your legal duties.
The course gives you what you need, from understanding current trends through to testing and support.
Understanding substance misuse at work
The question isn’t whether substance misuse affects your workplace. It’s whether you have the policies, knowledge and systems to deal with it when it does.
Policies built solely around detection and punishment miss the opportunity to intervene early.
The most effective approach balances clear boundaries with genuine support, so people feel able to ask for help before a problem escalates.
Common substances at work
- Alcohol: the most common issue and often normalised, but a real safety and performance risk
- Cannabis: increasingly common; can stay detectable for weeks, though impairment is shorter-term
- Cocaine: growing use in some sectors, with a short detection window
- Prescription medication: benzodiazepines, opioid painkillers and ADHD medication can affect safety if misused
- Novel psychoactive substances: ‘legal highs’ with unpredictable effects
Book your place on our next substance misuse training session
Common challenges, and what actually helps
Spotting the signs
Managers often miss warning signs or put them down to something else.
What helps: training to recognise patterns (performance changes, unexplained absence, behaviour changes, physical signs), and focusing on impact rather than speculation.
Handling suspected impairment
Most managers have never been trained to handle suspected impairment safely and legally.
What helps: clear procedures, documented observations, immediate removal from safety-critical work, avoiding accusations, and knowing who to contact.
Policy implementation
Having a policy is easy. Getting it used fairly and consistently is hard.
What helps: clear communication, manager training, regular reinforcement, consistent application at all levels, and visible leadership commitment.
Testing programmes
Poorly implemented testing damages trust and may not be legally defensible.
What helps: understanding when testing is appropriate, choosing the right methods, transparent processes, professional providers, and proper documentation.
Supporting recovery
Organisations struggle to balance support with safety.
What helps: clear return-to-work protocols, ongoing monitoring, external support partnerships, manager support, and confidentiality frameworks.
Creating a culture where people seek help early is far more effective than trying to catch people out.
Support and clear boundaries work together, not in opposition.
Who should attend this course
This course is designed for managers and decision-makers, not general employees. No prior substance misuse training is needed, we cover everything from the foundations.
- Business leaders and directors: strategic policy decisions
- Safety professionals: implementing safety-critical programmes
- HR teams: policy development and incident management
- Managers and supervisors: frontline identification and response
- Operations directors: testing programme implementation
- Occupational health teams: supporting employees
What you will learn on this course
Across a half day, the course covers:
- Drugs and alcohol: the different types and the effects they have
- Approaches to tackling the subject
- Priorities for a business
- Testing: how, when, who and why
- The different ways to test
- Structuring a policy
- Operating procedures
- Pulling it all together
Why train with Occupational Health Consultancy
This isn’t theoretical training. It’s practical knowledge from occupational health professionals who help organisations manage substance misuse every day.
We also provide professional drug and alcohol testing, so our advice reflects the realities of putting a programme in place, not just the theory.
What sets us apart
- 30 years’ occupational health experience, SEQOHS accredited
- Practical and evidence-based, drawn from daily casework
- Legal-compliance expertise around testing, discipline, privacy and support
- In-house drug and alcohol testing, so advice reflects real implementation
- Ongoing support: programme setup, policy development and case management
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Frequently Asked Questions
When do these training sessions take place?
We run our training sessions periodically throughout the year rather than on a fixed monthly schedule.
If upcoming dates are not currently listed, you can register your interest to be notified when new dates are released, contact us directly to discuss availability, or enquire about in-house or bespoke delivery for your organisation.
Email training@occupationalhealthltd.co.uk or call 023 8047 5000.
We already have a substance misuse policy. Is this still relevant?
Yes, most policies aren’t implemented effectively or consistently.
Even if you have policies, this training helps managers actually use them, addresses testing implementation, and builds support systems.
Is this just for high-risk industries?
No. While construction, logistics and manufacturing have obvious safety-critical elements, substance misuse affects all workplaces.
Office environments, retail, healthcare, and education all benefit from clear policies and supportive approaches.
What if we don't want to implement testing?
Testing is just one tool, and isn’t appropriate for every organisation.
Sessions 1-4 and 6 are valuable even if you never test. Session 5 helps you understand when testing is appropriate and when it isn’t.
Will this training tell us to be 'soft' on substance misuse?
No. This training is about being effective.
That means clear boundaries, consistent application and appropriate consequences, combined with support that actually reduces repeat issues and improves outcomes.
Can we bring specific scenarios?
Absolutely. The training is most valuable when it addresses real challenges you’re facing (appropriately anonymised).
How do I book multiple people?
To book multiple people, you can book through Eventbrite or contact us for group bookings.
Email training@occupationalhealthltd.co.uk or call 023 8047 5000.
Do you offer in-house training for this?
Yes, we can deliver bespoke substance misuse training for your organisation. Contact us to discuss your specific requirements.
Beyond training: substance misuse services
When you need more than training, we can help with:
- Drug and alcohol testing: professional, legally compliant testing (pre-employment, random, for-cause and post-incident)
- Policy development support: policies tailored to your industry and risk profile
- Manager support: guidance on handling specific cases, suspected impairment and difficult conversations
- Case management: occupational health assessment and recommendations for employees with substance misuse issues
- Return-to-work support: structured programmes for employees returning after treatment
Ready to build a safer workplace?
Book your place on the next session and start building the knowledge and systems to create a workplace that is free from substance misuse.
We can also deliver the training in-house for your team.
