Drug and Alcohol Awareness Training for Managers

If you are looking for the EMPLOYEE version of this training, click here.

You can’t address what you can’t recognize — and most managers aren’t trained to recognize it.

Substance use disorders don’t stay home when employees come to work. They show up on the floor, behind the wheel, and at the controls of equipment. Sixty percent of people with drug or alcohol use disorders are employed, and the consequences land directly on employers: substance use in the workplace accounts for 65% of on-the-job accidents and nearly half of all workers’ compensation claims. That’s more than $80 billion in annual costs to American businesses — and that number doesn’t include OSHA citations, litigation exposure, or the human cost when something goes wrong.

This training program is built for the people who carry the responsibility: managers and supervisors who are expected to recognize the problem, respond appropriately, and do it without violating employee rights. It covers the regulatory landscape, the behavioral warning signs, proper documentation, and exactly how to intervene when the situation demands it.

WHAT MANAGERS WILL LEARN:

• Understand the scope of substance use disorders in the workplace and why they represent a recognized safety hazard under OSHA’s General Duty Clause
• Identify the most commonly misused substances in work environments — including alcohol, marijuana, prescription opioids, fentanyl, and inhalants — and understand how each affects behavior and performance
• Recognize the behavioral, physical, and job performance indicators that may signal a substance use disorder
• Distinguish between the legal obligations created by OSHA, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and DOT drug and alcohol testing regulations (49 CFR Part 40) for safety-sensitive positions
• Understand what a compliant written drug and alcohol-free workplace policy must include and how to apply it consistently
• Identify the five types of drug and alcohol testing — pre-employment, reasonable suspicion, post-accident, return-to-duty, and random — and when each applies
• Document behavioral observations accurately and objectively in a way that supports appropriate intervention without creating legal exposure
• Respond correctly when an employee appears to be impaired, including knowing when to remove them from safety-sensitive duties immediately
• Direct employees to available resources, including Employee Assistance Programs, without overstepping the supervisory role

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COURSE TOPICS

The Business and Safety Cost of Substance Use Disorders The training opens by establishing the scale of the problem with concrete numbers — because managers who understand the exposure are managers who take the issue seriously. Participants learn how substance use disorders affect productivity, absenteeism, turnover, workers’ compensation costs, and accident rates, and why addressing the issue proactively is both a safety and financial imperative.

Substances Commonly Found in the Workplace Before managers can spot a problem, they need to know what they’re looking for. This section covers how alcohol is typically concealed on the job, the workplace implications of marijuana legalization, the risks of prescription opioid misuse including fentanyl’s extreme potency and lethality, and the hazard of employees intentionally inhaling workplace solvents or chemicals. Understanding the substances helps managers interpret what they’re observing.

Regulatory Framework: OSHA, ADA, and DOT Compliance obligations in this area come from multiple directions. The training explains OSHA’s General Duty Clause requirement that employers address recognized hazards, DOT’s drug and alcohol testing requirements under 49 CFR Part 40 for safety-sensitive transportation employees, and the ADA’s protections for workers who are in recovery. Managers learn where their authority begins and where employee privacy rights require them to proceed carefully.

Building a Drug and Alcohol-Free Workplace Policy A policy that employees have never read or been trained on is a policy that won’t hold up when it matters. This section covers what a compliant written policy must include: prohibited behaviors, testing procedures, consequences, and the required training elements. It also addresses how policies should be tailored to job functions — an employee who operates machinery or drives a company vehicle carries different risk than one who doesn’t.

Drug and Alcohol Testing: Types, Methods, and Limitations The training walks through all five testing scenarios — pre-employment, reasonable suspicion, post-accident, return-to-duty, and random — along with the testing methods currently approved by the Department of Transportation, including urinalysis and oral fluid testing. It also addresses OSHA’s restrictions on using post-incident testing as retaliation for hazard reporting, and the practical limitations of testing that managers should understand.

Recognizing Signs of Impairment This is where training directly affects outcomes. Managers learn how different substance categories affect behavior — depressants causing sluggishness, stimulants producing abnormal activity levels, narcotics creating sedation and detachment — and why individual reactions vary. The section emphasizes behavioral observation as the primary detection tool, especially for substances that clear the system quickly before formal testing can confirm impairment.

Documentation and Incident Reporting Written records are what separate a defensible intervention from a wrongful termination claim. The training explains how to document observable facts accurately — what was seen, heard, or smelled, with date and time — and specifically why managers should never record conclusions or diagnoses. Consistent documentation across all employees also protects against discrimination claims.

How to Intervene Appropriately When an employee appears impaired, the manager’s role is narrow but critical. The training covers how to consult the company’s drug and alcohol policy before acting, when to involve HR or a trained supervisor, and when immediate removal from safety-sensitive duties is non-negotiable. It also explains the typical next steps: substance use disorder evaluation, required rehabilitation program participation, and conditions for return to duty.

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WHY THIS TRAINING MATTERS

OSHA’s General Duty Clause creates real liability exposure when employers fail to address recognized hazards — and substance use disorders are explicitly recognized. Beyond OSHA, the DOT’s 49 CFR Part 40 requirements carry their own citation and audit risk for employers with safety-sensitive transportation roles. And when a substance-impaired employee causes a serious accident, the question that follows in every legal proceeding is what management knew and when. Training that’s documented, consistent, and substantive is one of the few defenses that holds up.

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WHO NEEDS THIS TRAINING

Any manager, supervisor, or team lead with direct reports — particularly those overseeing employees in safety-sensitive roles. Relevant industries and functions include:

• Manufacturing and production environments
• Construction and heavy equipment operations
• Transportation, logistics, and fleet operations
• Warehousing and distribution
• Healthcare and emergency response
• Chemical processing and industrial facilities
• Any operation subject to DOT drug and alcohol testing requirements

Manager Drug and Alcohol Abuse Training Delivery Options:

Available as an English or Spanish-speaking DVD or USB Stick, the training is 20 minutes in length.  We also offer this course as part of an online training program, either as a standalone course or as part of a larger safety training library.

This Complete Manager Training on Drug and Alcohol Abuse Awareness Includes These Items:

Full-Length Preview – Drug and Alcohol Awareness Training for Managers: