New industry resource: CIOB’s announcement, updated on 6 October 2026, introduces a free drugs and alcohol policy template developed by its Health, Safety and Wellbeing Advisory Panel with occupational-health input.
What the resource offers
CIOB describes a starting framework for expectations, management responsibilities, testing arrangements and support. Its Academy listing shows the electronic template at £0.00. Firms should follow the provider's current access process rather than assume that a free listing requires no registration or checkout.
The template is not legislation and has not become a Cliventa policy through this publication. Adopting it requires organisational review, including its employment, privacy and occupational-health implications. Project rules and the arrangements of other employers also need to be understood.
Management commentary: clarify the site interface
A subcontract team can work under its employer's arrangements and the principal contractor's site rules at the same time. Before mobilisation, managers should identify how those arrangements fit together and which person coordinates a concern. Workers need an understandable explanation of the process, not simply another document in an induction folder.
Keep sensitive matters within the appropriate management channels. A progress report or shared construction issue log is not the place for personal medical information. Agree who receives a concern, who decides the immediate site response and how information is handled under the organisation's reviewed procedures.
Four points for the policy review meeting
- Identify the owner.Name the manager responsible for reviewing and maintaining the policy.
- Check the project interface.Understand how the employer's arrangements interact with induction and site-access requirements.
- Prepare supervisors.Explain the approved escalation route and the limits of their decision-making role.
- Communicate support.Make the reviewed confidential reporting and support arrangements clear to the workforce.
Use the resource through the right specialists
Ask the appropriate HR, legal and occupational-health advisers to review the template before use. This briefing does not advise on testing powers, disciplinary outcomes or medical decisions. Those issues depend on the organisation's circumstances and applicable requirements.
For a ventilation installation package, confirm mobilisation and supervision interfaces alongside the pre-start checklist. The commercial enquiry can identify site requirements without collecting sensitive workforce information.
Source and review
CIOB announcement, updated — 6 October 2026. Reviewed by Cliventa on 21 October 2026. Follow the source for later changes.
Editorial stock photograph: Kindel Media, used under the Pexels licence. This is an illustration, not a Cliventa project or a photograph of the reported event.