The Council on Alcohol and Drugs: Illinois Drug Free Workplace

Drug Free Workplace Program: Illinois

Five easy steps to implementing a comprehensive Drug Free Workplace program in Illinois:

NOTE: Many insurers provide a voluntary discount on workers compensation insurance for companies that implement a drug free workplace program. Check with your insurer regarding the availability of any discount(s).

Scroll down for five easy steps to implementing a Drug Free Workplace. We have helped more than 9,044 companies acheive certification as a drug free workplace. Together we can make a difference in the fight against drug abuse in our nation.

If your organization is already drug free, we will help you maintain your program each year.
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Some Illinois employers are required to test certain workers – e.g. public works contractor’s employees.

Your drug free workplace membership meets all requirements of Illinois law and includes monthly employee drug education training newsletters. Membership includes:

One-year subscription to the English version “Drug-Free@Workplace” employee training newsletter. This monthly newsletter provides annual employee drug education/awareness without incurring loss of payroll and productivity while employees stop work to attend training. Drug education received at work can be taken home and shared with the employee's children to help keep them drug free.
Free Supervisor Training videotapes or DVDs. Provides annual supervisor training.
Access to online Employee Assistance Program (EAP) site.
Annual reminder to maintain your drug free workplace requirements.
Fill-in-the-blanks substance abuse policy. Meets all requirements of Illinois law & state contract law.
Drug Free Workplace poster, window and door stickers. Send a consistent drug free message to your employees and applicants.
Free legal updates on policy changes. Avoid legal liability!
Discounted rate for Varian On-Site® drug test kits: saliva or urine based tests. Highest quality, most accurate tests available.
Free online training and certification as an onsite drug testing collector. Add "drug testing expert" to your resume!
Free drug free workplace consultation from our drug free workplace experts.
Free Drug Free Workplace stickers for hard hats, vehicles, etc. Show state contract inspectors you are in compliance.
Safe Driver Policy, Driver Acknowledgement Form, Violence Prevention Policy & Procedures Manual, and Violence Prevention Policy available free upon request.

Implementing a drug free workplace program results in an annual savings of several thousand dollars for most companies and organizations through reduced workers' comp claims, increased productivity, fewer medical claims, reduced turnover, less theft in the workplace, increased employee morale and less absenteeism and tardiness. Additionally, your membership dues help our 501(c)3 nonprofit agency prevent drug abuse among children.

Click on Join Now above to join the Council’s Drug-Free Workplace program and subscribe to the Drug-Free Workplace monthly Employee Education Newsletters.

Please note: We also offer Supervisor Training newsletters and Spanish Employee version newsletters for a small additional fee. These monthly newsletters are the most cost-effective way to conduct your drug-free workplace training. In-person presentations and videotape training require that employees stop work to attend training resulting in loss of payroll and loss of productivity. Monthly newsletters solve this problem and save your company thousands of training dollars.

Step 1: SUBSTANCE ABUSE POLICY

In order to provide a comprehensive drug free workplace program for your employees, your company should have a substance abuse policy in place that meets all requirements of Illinois law.

We email you a ‘fill-in-the-blank’ policy in English and Spanish. Simply print the policy on company letterhead and hand it out to all employees. If you have any questions regarding the substance abuse policy, we have drug free workplace experts and our labor law attorney available to answer your questions at no charge. Sample letters and forms are included in the policy. These should also be printed on company letterhead.

Step 2: SUPERVISOR TRAINING

You should conduct at least one hour of supervisor training upon implementing your program. The supervisor training should include a discussion of how to enforce the new company substance abuse policy along with viewing one of our supervisor training videos or DVDs. We will assist you in selecting an appropriate video or DVD for supervisor training. Many companies also choose to subscribe to our monthly Supervisor Newsletters. Download a sample supervisor newsletter.

The supervisor newsletters are the most cost-effective and efficient way to train your supervisors how to supervise a drug free workplace!

Step 3: EMPLOYEE EDUCATION

You should conduct at least one hour of employee drug education during each year your program is in place. Our monthly Employee Education newsletter is the most cost-effective means of conducting this training and is included in your membership fee. Distributing the newsletter to employees once a month provides a total of two hours of employee drug education. The Employee Education newsletters are emailed to you on a monthly basis. We suggest they be attached to your employees' paychecks, but how you distribute them is up to you. Drug education is appropriate and critically important to an employer’s overall efforts to prevent drug abuse in the workplace and protect workers. Drug education received at work can be taken home and shared with the employees' children to help keep them drug and alcohol free. Download a sample Employee Education newsletter (also available in Spanish).

The newsletters are the most cost-effective and efficient way to provide annual employee drug education and training.

Step 4: TYPES OF TESTING MANDATED BY LAW (You do not have to drug test your entire workforce).

You should conduct random drug testing of all employees along with job applicant testing and post accident testing. These types of testing protect your company legally. Avoid negligent hiring and retention!

We offer member discounted pricing on Varian On-Site® testing products. This is an excellent way to save time and money! It is extremely easy to become a certified onsite collector at NO additional cost. Onsite collector certification is included in your $150 membership.

We also offer member discounted pricing on the new On-Site® OraLab® (SALIVA) drug test kits. These clean, efficient drug tests detect within 10 minutes at the job site up to six drugs of abuse including marijuana, cocaine, opiates, amphetamine, methamphetamine and phencyclidine. If the rapid test is negative, the testing is complete. Please call Leanne for more information.

Step 5: EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (EAP) OR RESOURCE FILE

Drug-free workplaces should provide employees with either an EAP (Employee Assistance Program), or a resource list of treatment and counseling centers in their area.

We provide you with an online EAP with confidential user ID, password and toll-free number.

After completing the aforementioned five steps, we will issue your company a drug free certificate.

THE COUNCIL ON ALCOHOL AND DRUGS, ALONG WITH THE DRUGS DON’T WORK PROGRAM, ARE DEDICATED TO EDUCATING EMPLOYERS, EMPLOYEES AND THE PUBLIC AT LARGE ABOUT:

(1) the dangers of substance abuse, especially the abuse of illicit drugs; (2) the impact of such abuse on the workplace; (3) the most appropriate, effective and legally accepted means for employers to address their substance abuse in the workplace problems; (4) the rights and responsibilities of employers and employees; (5) the status of legislative, regulatory and legal developments at the state level, and; (6) the very legitimate and necessary - role of employers in our national effort to combat drug abuse.

The Council on Alcohol and Drugs recognizes the threat of drug abuse in the workplace. Among other consequences, drug and alcohol abuse decreases productivity and increases accidents, absenteeism, product defects, medical and insurance costs, and employee theft. Employers and employees have a large stake and legitimate role to play in the "war on drugs." Click on the Joint Now button below to become a member of The Council on Alcohol and Drugs' Drug Free Workplace Program and qualify for the state mandated 5% discount on your workers' compensation premiums. Your membership helps our 40-year-old nonprofit agency to provide drug prevention programs to children.

The Council on Alcohol and Drugs, Inc.
233 Peachtree Street, NE - Suite 2000
Atlanta, Georgia 30303-1564
Phone: (404) 223-2482
Fax: (866) 786-9811
Email: lmulherin(at)livedrugfree.org