Smoke Free And Substance Abuse Workplace Policy

Policy brief & purpose

Our employee smoking free and Substance abuse policy outlines our rules regarding smoking in the workplace. This policy aims to protect non-smokers without unreasonably depriving smokers from their right to smoke.And safeguards against drug and alcohol abuse to ensure a safe and healthy working environment. Substance abuse imposes a burden on those caught up in the abuse, but also on their co-workers. It may lead to poorer job performance and accident risks.

What is covered under the Employee Smoking Policy?

Our employees who smoke need to follow this policy so they will:

• Protect non-smokers from second-hand smoking
• Avoid setting off alarms and smoke detectors
• Preserve an image of a clean workplace
• Avoid fires from discarded cigarettes

We’ll follow any legal guidelines regarding indoor smoking.

Scope

This policy applies to all employees of our company as well as to visitors, contractors and temporary staff.

Policy elements

Our policy refers to all tobacco products. As a general rule, smoking isn’t allowed indoors. This rules refers to:

• Working areas
• Hallways
• Staircases
• Restrooms
• Warehouses
• Company vehicles
• Kitchen and Cafeterias

We may establish designated areas that are properly ventilated and secluded.

Smoking is prohibited indoors at any time, not just during working hours. If an employee stays late at work, they’re still obliged to follow this policy.

Areas where smoking is permitted

We permit smoking during normal breaks at:

• Designated smoking areas
• Balconies and open-air verandas
• Any outer premises including gardens, yards and sidewalks outside of our buildings

We also advise our employees to:

• Extinguish their cigarettes and discard them only in appropriate containers
• Avoid smoking when they have scheduled meetings with clients or vendors
• Avoid smoking near flammable objects and areas

Our company’s actions

We will:

• Place signs at all areas where smoking isn’t allowed
• Communicate this policy through [bulletin boards/ internal newsletters]
• Offer smoking cessation seminars as part of our employee wellness program

Any employee who has a complaint regarding this policy can contact our Human resources (HR) department.

Illegal drugs, inhalants and prescription as well as over-the-counter drugs fall into the “substances” category. We will also place restrictions on alcohol consumption.

While working, you must not:

• Possess, use or be under the influence of alcohol, inhalants or drugs. You can consume alcohol in moderation while in approved business meetings or social gatherings.
• Sell, buy, transfer or distribute drugs or drug paraphernalia.
• Use prescription drugs (e.g. medical marijuana) while working or being on company premises.

To prevent accidents and productivity losses, we implemented drug and alcohol tests for employees/candidates when:

• We have made a formal job offer to the final candidate or when we are about to promote a current employee.
• The circumstances surrounding a workplace accident are unclear and we want to ensure there was no substance abuse involved.
• We want to test employees randomly (we will only use this practice if it’s legal under state or national law.)

Especially if you are doing a safety-sensitive job (e.g. machine operator), we reserve the right to withdraw our job offer, alter your job duties or send you home for the day if you’re under the influence of drugs (e.g. muscle relaxants.) We may also terminate you if your actions create safety risks. We will determine the best disciplinary action on a case-by-case basis.

Depending on the law, you may still clear a random drug test if you test positive for prescription drugs (e.g. medical marijuana.) If your job is safety-sensitive though, you must show that you can perform your duties without problems. Your supervisor will be responsible for spotting and reporting any impairment resulting from drug use.

Disciplinary consequences

We expect employees to respect this policy and their colleagues. We’ll take disciplinary action towards employees who disregard this policy:

• Employees who violate this policy frequently or cause severe problems may face consequences up to and including termination.
• Employees who violate this policy infrequently or don’t cause major issues will face reprimands or detraction of benefits.

We may invoke disciplinary action up to termination, when you:

• Test positive for hard drugs (e.g. cocaine.)
• Sell, or attempt to sell, any form of substance.
• Use any kind of drug on company premises.
• Refuse to take a company mandated drug test.

Managers and our HR department are responsible for taking appropriate action after they investigate any incidents thoroughly.

Authority and Interpretation

This policy is approved by the Management of the Nerve Cells AI and effective from Feb 01, 2023

The Department of Human Resources is responsible for the administration and implementation of this policy. The Company may revise or eliminate this policy at any time. The Department of Human Resources is authorized to amend or revise this policy