Reasonable Suspicion Training for Supervisors (Drugs and Alcohol)

Status: In the Works (Details Coming Soon)

Few situations put a supervisor under more pressure than suspecting an employee may be impaired at work. The stakes are high, and the risks are real: safety incidents, equipment damage, regulatory exposure, legal liability, and a loss of trust across the workforce.

This workshop equips supervisors with the grounding, procedural clarity, and practical confidence needed to respond appropriately when impairment is suspected. Participants will learn how to recognize indicators, apply reasonable suspicion standards, follow consistent response protocols, and communicate and document observations in a professional and defensible manner.

The session emphasizes a balanced approach that protects employee dignity while ensuring safety, compliance, and operational continuity.

What You Will Learn

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Explain the operational and safety risks associated with employee impairment
• Understand national and industry trends related to drug and alcohol use in the workplace
• Apply organizational policy and legal considerations consistently, including privacy and due process
• Recognize behavioral and physical indicators of impairment using validated observational criteria
• Follow a structured response protocol to protect coworkers and reduce risk
• Document and communicate observations objectively and ethically
• Practice supervisor conversations through facilitated role-play scenarios

Workshop Agenda

Topics include:

• Impact of Employee Impairment
  Case examples and the operational consequences of undetected or mishandled impairment

• Workplace Statistics
  Review and interpretation of national and industry data affecting manufacturing workplaces

• Legal and Policy Considerations
  Reasonable suspicion standards, confidentiality expectations, and key legal intersections

• Defining Reasonable Suspicion
  How to improve observational accuracy, reduce bias, and document objectively

• Supervisor Action Steps
  A clear protocol for initiating the conversation, removing employees from duty, involving HR, and requesting testing when appropriate

• Skill Practice
  Interactive scenarios to rehearse conversations, decision making, and documentation in a safe learning environment

Who Should Attend

This workshop is designed for manufacturing leaders who may be responsible for immediate decisions during high-risk situations, including:

• Frontline Supervisors and Team Leads
• Production Managers and Department Managers
• Safety Managers and EHS Leaders
• HR Leaders supporting policy compliance and employee relations
• Plant Managers responsible for overall site safety and risk

Expected Outcomes

Participants will leave with:

• Clear understanding of what reasonable suspicion means and what it does not mean
• A repeatable, defensible process for addressing suspected impairment
• Improved confidence in difficult supervisor-employee conversations
• Stronger documentation practices that reduce organizational risk

Duration

Half Day (2-4 hours. Still in development)

Cost

$275 per participant
or
$2,500 per private session (on-site or hosted for your team)

Registration

Coming soon. This workshop is currently in development and will be posted once dates and location are finalized.