Drug and Alcohol Policy Template for Tradie Businesses Australia

Drug and Alcohol Policy Template for Tradie Businesses in Australia

Need a clear drug and alcohol policy for your trade business?

The Drug and Alcohol Policy Template for Tradies is a practical digital download designed for Australian trade-based businesses that need to set clear workplace expectations around alcohol, illegal drugs, prescription medication, non-prescription medication, impairment, safety and fitness for work.

This template is written in plain English for real worksites, not corporate boardrooms. It is designed for businesses where workers may be using vehicles, ladders, scaffolding, tools, machinery, chemicals, electrical equipment, plant or other equipment, and where being impaired at work can create serious safety risks.

It is suitable for a wide range of Australian trade businesses, including builders, plumbers, electricians, air conditioning and refrigeration businesses, roofers, painters, plasterers, landscapers, lawn and garden maintenance businesses, concreters, carpenters, tilers, maintenance contractors and other hands-on trade businesses.

What this Drug and Alcohol Policy Template covers

This template helps your business set clear rules about:

• being fit for work;

• alcohol use during work hours;

• illegal drug use;

• prescription and non-prescription medication that may affect safety;

• impairment at work;

• reasonable suspicion of drug or alcohol use;

• testing where there is reasonable suspicion;

• post-incident testing concepts;

• client site and principal contractor drug and alcohol requirements;

• work vehicles, equipment, tools and machinery;

• worker responsibilities;

• business responsibilities;

• employee assistance and support;

• breaches of the policy; and

• disciplinary action and procedural fairness.

Why tradie businesses need a drug and alcohol policy

Trade businesses often work in safety-sensitive environments. Your workers may be driving work vehicles, using power tools, operating machinery, working at heights, attending construction sites, entering client homes or businesses, working near electrical equipment, handling chemicals or working around other contractors.

A clear workplace drug and alcohol policy helps your business:

• set expectations before there is a problem;

• manage safety risks;

• support work health and safety obligations;

• respond consistently to suspected impairment;

• deal with client site or principal contractor requirements;

• explain what workers must do if medication may affect their work;

• support supervisors to identify and document reasonable suspicion; and

• reduce confusion about what happens if the policy is breached.

Who this template is for

This Drug and Alcohol Policy Template is designed for Australian trade businesses that may engage:

• employees;

• apprentices;

• casual employees;

• supervisors;

• labourers;

• contractors;

• subcontractors;

• labour hire workers;

• site workers;

• maintenance workers; and

• other workers who perform work for or on behalf of the business.

It can be used by small and growing trade businesses that want a practical workplace policy to include in their onboarding pack, HR folder, staff handbook, site induction material or workplace policy library.

What you receive

When you purchase this digital download, you receive a customisable Drug and Alcohol Policy Template that you can adapt for your trade business.

The template includes:

• a How to Guide;

• Important Information page;

• Drug and Alcohol Policy;

• definitions section;

• fitness for work wording;

• alcohol rules;

• drug and medication rules;

• reasonable suspicion testing framework;

• post-incident testing wording;

• client site requirement wording;

• employee assistance wording;

• breach and disciplinary action section;

• business responsibilities;

• team member responsibilities; and

• review and policy change wording.

Important note about testing

This template includes wording for reasonable suspicion testing, post-incident testing concepts and client site testing concepts. It does not create a full random or blanket drug and alcohol testing program.

If your business wants to introduce random testing, blanket testing, pre-employment testing, or testing for a specialised high-risk industry, you should obtain specific legal, HR and work health and safety advice before doing so.

Suitable for Australian trade businesses

This template has been prepared for trade-based businesses operating in Australia. It is designed to be practical, easy to understand and suitable for use in everyday trade business operations.

It may be useful for businesses in industries such as:

• building and construction;

• electrical;

• plumbing;

• air conditioning and refrigeration;

• roofing;

• landscaping;

• lawn and garden maintenance;

• painting;

• plastering;

• tiling;

• carpentry;

• concreting;

• maintenance and repairs;

• handyman services; and

• other trade and field service businesses.

Easy to customise

The template includes placeholder sections so you can insert your business details and adapt the policy to your workplace.

Before using the template, you should check whether your business has any additional obligations under:

• work health and safety laws;

• applicable modern awards;

• enterprise agreements;

• employment contracts;

• client site rules;

• principal contractor requirements;

• government contract requirements; or

• industry-specific safety rules.

Digital download

This is a digital product. No physical product will be shipped.

After purchase, you can download the template and customise it for your business.

Disclaimer

 Tradie Contract Co publishes legal templates and information for tradies. We are not acting as your lawyer when you buy, download or use this template.

This template gives you general legal information only. It is not tailored legal advice for your specific situation. You use it at your own risk and you should get legal advice from a lawyer if you’re unsure whether it suits your business or if you work in a specialised high-risk area.

All copyright in this template belongs to Tradie Contract Co. We grant you a non-exclusive, royalty-free, revocable license to use this template once for your own trade business. You must not copy it for other people, resell it, give it away, upload it to template libraries, upload it to an AI platform or use it to compete with Tradie Contract Co.