Drug and Alcohol Reasonable Suspicion Observation Form

Use this form when a supervisor observes specific, contemporaneous signs that may indicate drug or alcohol impairment at work. It is meant for documenting what was seen, heard, or smelled before any action is taken. It is not for rumors, assumptions, or performance issues that do not involve observable impairment. If the situation is urgent or unsafe, remove the employee from duty first and complete the form as soon as practical.

A trained supervisor, manager, or designated workplace observer should complete it as close to the event as possible. The person documenting should be the one who directly observed the behavior or who can accurately capture witness reports. If multiple supervisors were involved, one person should consolidate the facts into a single record to avoid duplicate or conflicting entries. The acknowledgment section helps confirm accountability for the decision-making trail.

It is used only when a reasonable-suspicion event occurs, not on a routine schedule. Some organizations also use it during return-to-duty situations or after a safety incident if policy requires a documented observation. The form should be available at all times so a supervisor can complete it immediately when needed. Keeping it as an on-demand record supports consistency across shifts and locations.

Record concrete facts such as location, time, speech changes, balance issues, odor, coordination problems, and visible behavior changes. Use specific language like 'slurred speech' or 'unsteady gait' rather than conclusions like 'appeared intoxicated.' Include witness names only if they were present and relevant to the observation. The goal is to capture objective details that support a defensible audit trail.

It supports consistent documentation, which is important for workplace safety policies and fair treatment across employees. By separating observable indicators from conclusions, the form helps reduce bias and keeps the record focused on facts. If your policy involves testing, transport, or removal from duty, the form also creates a clear chain of actions taken. For privacy, collect only the information needed for the incident and avoid unnecessary PII.

Common mistakes include writing vague statements, leaving out the time of observation, and marking every field as required even when some details are unknown. Another issue is documenting a diagnosis or suspected substance without evidence, which can create unnecessary risk. Supervisors also sometimes skip witness details or fail to note what happened after the employee was removed from duty. This template is designed to keep the record factual, minimal, and actionable.

Yes. You can adjust the observation fields to match your policy, add conditional logic for alcohol versus drug indicators, and tailor the next-steps section for testing, escort, or transport procedures. Many organizations also add role-based routing so HR, safety, or security receives the form automatically. If your workplace allows anonymous reporting in some situations, you can add a separate intake path without changing the supervisor record.

An ad-hoc note often misses key facts, uses inconsistent language, and makes it harder to follow the same process across supervisors. This template gives you structured fields for the date, time, observations, witnesses, and immediate actions, which makes review easier later. It also reduces the chance that a supervisor forgets to document transport, removal from duty, or follow-up notes. In practice, the template produces a cleaner audit trail than a freeform email.