A tailored drug and alcohol policy, built from your answers
Answer questions about your organisation — about four minutes — and receive a complete, jurisdiction-correct workplace drug and alcohol policy as a branded Word document. Drafted section by section from what you tell us, by NIVHA, which runs testing programmes across the UK and Ireland.
Why not just download a template
A template tells you what a policy looks like. This builds yours
Free templates are generic by design — the same document for a two-person office and a two-hundred-person construction firm, usually written for one jurisdiction and silently wrong in the other two. The gaps only show up when the policy is challenged, which is exactly when it needs to hold. Our drug and alcohol policy guide sets out what a defensible policy contains and where templates fall short.
The builder works the other way round. Your sector, your headcount, your jurisdiction, your stance — zero tolerance or support-first — the testing types you operate and the support routes you offer all shape the wording. Safety-critical roles are defined by name. The testing procedure reflects what will actually happen on site. Two organisations answering differently receive genuinely different policies.
And because it comes from NIVHA, the policy lines up with how testing is actually delivered — collection, chain of custody, laboratory confirmation and medical review — so the document you adopt describes a programme we can stand behind.
How it works
Four minutes, four steps
Take the health check
Six questions, no email needed. You get an instant snapshot of what a policy for your organisation has to cover — your legal framework, your risk areas and where a generic document would fall short.
Answer questions about your organisation
Your stance, your testing programme, the support you offer and who is responsible for what. Plain questions with guidance at every step — no legal drafting, no blank page.
Review your document map
See the full structure of your policy — every section and both appendices — responding to your answers before any payment. What you see is what gets drafted.
Receive, consult, adopt
Pay securely. A member of our team checks your policy and emails it to you, usually within one working day — a branded Word document with a document control table, version stamp and 12-month review date. It is yours to edit through consultation and adoption.
What is inside
Fifteen sections, two appendices, nothing missing
Every policy the builder produces carries the full structure a defensible programme needs — each section drafted around your answers:
- 01Purpose and scope
- 02Definitions
- 03Your stance, stated plainly
- 04Roles and responsibilities
- 05Safety-critical roles, defined by name
- 06Alcohol standards
- 07Prescribed and over-the-counter medication
- 08The testing programme
- 09Consent and refusal
- 10What happens on a non-negative result
- 11Support and rehabilitation routes
- 12Disciplinary interface
- 13Data protection and confidentiality
- 14Communication and training
- 15Review cycle and document control
Appendix A
Your testing procedure, step by step — matching the testing types you selected.
Appendix B
The document pack register — the supporting materials that sit alongside the policy.
Cut-off levels are confirmed against the analysing laboratory’s current published cut-off schedule and are not written into your policy, so it does not go out of date.
The supporting document pack · coming soon
A policy sets the rules. The pack rolls them out
Three documents that take the policy off the shelf and into the workplace — each one tailored to the policy you have built. They are coming soon. Contract clause wording is included with every policy now. NIVHA testing clients get a discounted rate — enter your client code at checkout.
Employee awareness leaflet
Manager guidance
Toolbox talk
Contract clause wording
Previews are illustrative — every document is drafted around the policy you build. See what is inside the toolbox talk
If your needs are more complex
Bespoke development and the full programme
Multiple entities, unionised environments, sector-specific regulation or a policy that needs to survive heavy legal scrutiny — some situations deserve a bespoke policy developed with us rather than the builder. And when the policy is adopted, we deliver everything it describes: workplace testing, manager training and ongoing programme support.
Common questions
The policy builder — your questions answered
How long does it actually take?
The free health check takes under a minute. The full builder takes about four minutes — questions about your organisation, stance, testing programme, support routes and governance. Your policy is emailed once a member of our team has checked it, usually within one working day.
Is it really tailored, or is it a fill-in-the-blanks template?
Every section is drafted from your answers. Your sector, headcount, jurisdiction, stance, the testing types you operate, your support routes and your named contacts all change the wording — two organisations answering differently receive genuinely different policies.
Which jurisdictions does it cover?
Northern Ireland, Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland. The legal framework, data protection wording and intoxicants law differ between the three, and the builder drafts for the jurisdiction you actually operate in. Organisations operating across more than one jurisdiction can build a policy for each.
What exactly do I receive?
A complete drug and alcohol policy — fifteen sections and two appendices — delivered by email as a branded Word document, version-stamped with a document control table and a 12-month review date. It is fully editable, so you can adjust wording before consultation and adoption.
Is this legal advice?
No. The policy is professionally drafted for general use and gives you a strong, jurisdiction-correct starting point — but it is not legal advice, and we recommend organisations take their own advice on employment law matters, particularly before dismissal decisions. If your situation is complex, our bespoke policy development route may fit better.
What is the supporting document pack?
Three rollout documents that put the policy to work: an employee awareness leaflet, manager guidance and a toolbox talk briefing presentation with sign-off sheet. They are coming soon and are not on sale yet. Contract clause wording for employment contracts is included with every policy at no charge.
I am already a NIVHA testing client — is there a discount?
Yes. NIVHA testing clients get a discounted rate on the policy builder — enter your client code at checkout. If you are not sure of your code, contact us.
What happens after I adopt the policy?
A policy protects you when people know it exists and managers know how to apply it. We support consultation and rollout, deliver awareness and manager training, and can stand up the testing programme the policy describes — collection, laboratory analysis and results management.
Start with the free health check
Six questions, no email needed — see what your policy has to cover before spending anything. The full tailored policy is £125 + VAT.
Start the free health check Talk to us instead