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State / Federal Contractor / Grantee Compliance Site - Drug Free Workplace Program
Five easy steps to becoming a State Certified Drug Free Workplace and maintaining your state contractual requirement.
GEORGIA STATE AND FEDERAL CONTRACT & GRANT RECIPIENTS MUST CERTIFY THAT THEY MAINTAIN A DRUG FREE WORKPLACE PROGRAM THROUGHOUT THE DURATION OF THE CONTRACT: (OCGA 50-24-3).
Scroll down for five easy steps to becoming a State Certified Drug Free Workplace and meeting the Drug Free Workplace requirement of all state contracts under Georgia law and qualifying for the state mandated 7.5% discount on workers compensation insurance. Together we can make a difference in the fight against drug abuse in our nation.
Your membership meets all five certification and re-certification requirements of Georgia law and includes:
One-year membership including all of the above and the monthly employee newsletter in English for $165. If you wish to add the employee newsletter in Spanish, it is an additional $55. If you wish to add the supervisor newsletter, it is an additional $120.
Click above to join the Council’s Drug Free Workplace program which includes subscription to the Drug Free Workplace monthly Employee Education/Awareness training newsletter or download form to apply by mail.
Please note: We also offer Supervisor Training newsletters and Spanish Employee version newsletters. These monthly newsletters are the most cost-effective way to meet your drug free workplace awareness training requirements. 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 (All state of Georgia contractors, subcontractors and grant recipients MUST have a substance abuse policy in place.)
We email you with the state recommended ‘fill-in-the-blank’ policy in English and Spanish. This policy meets all 12 requirements of Georgia law and is within Georgia Labor law requirements. Simply print the policy on company letterhead and hand it out to all employees. If you have any legal questions regarding the substance abuse policy, we have a labor law attorney who specializes in drug free workplace law on retainer who will answer your questions at no charge. We email you with any legal updates to the policy as they occur. Sample letters and forms are included in the policy. These should also be printed on company letterhead.
Step 2: TWO HOURS OF SUPERVISOR TRAINING (All state certified drug free workplaces MUST provide supervisor training.)
You must conduct the first hour of supervisor training prior to applying for your state certificate as a drug free workplace. The first hour of 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. The second hour of supervisor training must be conducted within 6 months. The second hour of supervisor training may be completed by selecting another video/DVD from our video library list, or by subscribing to our Supervisor Training Newsletters. Download a sample supervisor newsletter. Supervisor training helps to avoid charges of negligent hiring and negligent retention. This is basic management training 101.
Step 3: TWO HOURS OF EMPLOYEE TRAINING (All state of Georgia contractors, subcontractors and grant recipients MUST provide employee drug awareness education.)
State certified drug free workplaces must conduct two hours of employee education in the first year of certification. Drug education provided to employees in the workplace can be taken home and shared with their children to help keep them drug and alcohol free! What employer would not want to provide much needed drug education for their employees? Research has shown that information, education, and training that are provided and reinforced in the workplace itself rather than in an offsite classroom has a deeper impact on workplace attitudes and behaviors. Information that is presented through the workplace in smaller amounts, over longer periods, and frequently reinforced is often understood better and more motivating than one-time-only trainings or meetings.
Step 4: Drug Testing.
The Council offers a variety of drug testing solutions for small to medium sized businesses -- from instant result devices to site collection devices with lab confirmation, as well as many turn-key fixed-facility options. Not sure which solution is best for your company? Drug testing options can be reviewed at: https://drugfreeworkplacestore.com/drug-test-kits/
Contact one of our knowledgeable testing experts today to discuss your state specific requirements.
Please call our Testing Experts at (404) 223-2481 for more information.
Step 5: EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (EAP) OR RESOURCE FILE (State contractors/grant recipients MUST provide either an EAP or a resource file for employees.)
State certified drug free workplaces must provide either an EAP (Employee Assistance Program), or a resource list of treatment and counseling centers in their area. An employer is not required to pay for drug treatment.
Many health insurance plans include an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). If your company health insurance plan does not include EAP, or if your company does not offer health insurance for employees, we will provide you with an updated list of treatment and counseling centers in your area.
After completing the aforementioned 5 steps required for certification, we will assist you in applying or reapplying for state certification online. We help you meet and maintain all of the annual state requirements for drug free certification. The state of Georgia drug free certification is issued by the GA State Board of Workers' Compensation after you meet the aforementioned requirements.
WHY WOULD ANY ORGANIZATION NOT WANT TO CERTIFY AS A DRUG FREE WORKPLACE?
Our monthly Employee Education Newsletter, the official newsletter of Georgia’s Drug Free Workplace program, is the most cost-effective means of meeting the annual employee drug awareness/training requirement and is included in your membership fee. Distributing the newsletter to employees once a month meets the two hour employee education requirement for the first year, and each year thereafter. The Employee Education Newsletters are emailed to you on a monthly basis. We suggest they be attached to your employee’s paychecks, but how you distribute them is up to you. Spanish training newsletters and Supervisor Training newsletters are available for an additional fee. 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 employee’s children to help keep them drug and alcohol free. Download a sample Employee Education newsletter (also available in Spanish).
The Council on Alcohol and Drugs, Inc.
Georgia’s Leading Drug Free Workplace Provider
270 Peachtree Street NW, Suite 2200
Atlanta, GA 30303-1283
Phone: (404) 223-2486
Fax: (866) 786-9811
Email: swade@livedrugfree.org
