Drug and Alcohol Impairment Awareness

Why it matters

Impairment on a job site is not a private matter, because the person working impaired is holding tools and loads that reach everyone around them. It is not just illegal substances: alcohol counts too, and NIOSH warns that even a low dose of alcohol on top of long hours awake makes you perform even worse. NIOSH also urges a workplace where people feel safe talking about substance use without fear of stigma. One rule here: nobody works impaired, and struggling people get help, not cover.

Hazards

• ⚠ Slowed reflexes and bad depth perception around equipment and edges
• ⚠ Hangover impairment on early shifts after late nights
• ⚠ Prescription opioids and new medications affecting alertness
• ⚠ Covering for an impaired coworker who then hurts someone
• ⚠ Withdrawal shakes and distraction mid-task
• ⚠ Impaired driving of company vehicles between sites

Controls and safe practices

• ✓ Fit for duty means sober AND rested: no alcohol, no impairing substances, and honest self-checks after rough nights.
• ✓ Starting a new medication? Ask the pharmacist about equipment and heights, and tell the foreman if it may affect you. Reassignment is not punishment.
• ✓ See something, say something: slurred speech, unsteady balance, or the smell means a private word with the foreman, immediately.
• ✓ Never cover: the loyal move is getting your buddy off the tools before the incident, not after.
• ✓ Know the company policy and the assistance options; treatment paths beat termination when people come forward.
• ✓ Company vehicles: zero impaired driving, zero exceptions.
• ✓ Foreman handles it privately and respectfully; the crew handles it by speaking up.

What OSHA says

Exact words from the official text, with a link to each paragraph.

Site check before the talk

Walk the site and tick each line. Each line comes from the text quoted above.

• ☐Only workers qualified by training or experience run equipment and machinery. (29 CFR 1926.20(b)(4))
• ☐The company safety program includes a clear fit-for-duty rule. (29 CFR 1926.20(b)(1))
• ☐Workers can talk about substance use without fear of stigma or payback. (NIOSH Opioids in Construction (work environment))
• ☐Everyone knows what the health plan covers for substance use and mental health treatment. (NIOSH Opioids in Construction (benefits))
• ☐No alcohol at all when you have been awake long hours and still have work or driving ahead. (NIOSH Work Schedules training (alcohol and long hours))

Quotes checked word for word against the official OSHA text on October 5, 2026. This is a summary for a crew talk, not legal advice; the full official text governs. How we check

Crew discussion questions

1. What does our company policy actually say, and where is the help line?
2. Which tasks here would be catastrophic with slowed reactions?
3. How would you want a friend to handle it if it were you?
4. What medications are crew members quietly working through right now?

Applicable OSHA standards

29 CFR 1926.20

More toolbox talks

• Young and Temporary Worker Supervision
• Subcontractor Coordination on Multi-Employer Sites
• Housekeeping in Stairwells and Corridors
• Material Storage and Rack Stability
• Banding and Strapping Cuts
• Plastic Sheeting and Slip Hazards on Floors

Talks by trade

RoofingElectricalHVAC / MechanicalGeneral ContractorAll toolbox talks

Safety documents

Site-specific safety plan, $49JHA, $29Written safety program, $149