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WHEREAS, the State of Idaho has a vital interest in maintaining a safe, healthy
and efficient working environment for its employees, clients and the public; and
WHEREAS, employees impaired by
alcohol or other drugs during work hours pose safety and health risks not only
to themselves but to others; and
WHEREAS, employees who use illegal
drugs, whether on or off duty, are generally less productive, less reliable and
prone to greater absenteeism than employees who do not use drugs; and
WHEREAS, the use of illegal drugs
by state employees is inconsistent with both law-abiding behavior expected of
all citizens, and the special trust placed in such employees as servants of the
public; and
WHEREAS, the use of alcohol or
drugs by state employees in certain positions of sensitivity poses a special
risk to public safety and the effective enforcement of the law; and
WHEREAS, the use of alcohol or
drugs becomes a matter of concern to the State of Idaho when it interferes with
job performance, conduct, attendance, or safety of state employees; and
WHEREAS, the State of Idaho, as an
employer, has a responsibility to taxpayers to ensure that state functions are
performed efficiently and without undue risk to the people of the State; and
WHEREAS, the State of Idaho, as an
employer, also is concerned with the well-being of its employees and should
encourage the identification and rehabilitation of employees with alcohol or
drug problems; and
WHEREAS, the position of Office of
Drug Policy was established within the Office of the Governor to advise and
assist the Governor in coordinating all drug and substance abuse initiatives in
the State of Idaho;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, C.L. “BUTCH”
OTTER, Governor of the State of Idaho, by virtue of the power and authority
vested in me by the Constitution and statutes of the State of Idaho, do hereby
order the Idaho Alcohol and Drug-Free Workplace Policy to become effective
immediately for all employees of the State of Idaho:
1. The consumption of alcohol on the job is prohibited. Employees may not
work if their performance is
impaired by the use of alcohol;
2. The unlawful manufacturing, distribution, dispensing, possession, or use of a
controlled substance is
prohibited, and if occurring on State property or during an
employee's hours of work, demands
immediate corrective action;
3. Each State agency shall provide employees with information on Idaho's Alcohol
and Drug-Free
Workplace Policy, as well as information on the State's
Employee Assistance Plan;
4. Violations of the Idaho Alcohol and Drug-Free Workplace Policy will be cause
for
management/supervisor intervention and may result in referral
to treatment, including participation in
the Employee Assistance Program. It shall be the policy of
the State of Idaho to direct its efforts toward
rehabilitation whenever reasonable;
5. Any intervention steps taken upon a violation of the Idaho Alcohol and
Drug-Free Workplace Policy
must be consistent with all due process requirements and
other constitutional rights of state
employees;
6. The privacy rights of employees are important. Any intervention steps taken
because of a violation of
the Idaho Alcohol and Drug-Free Workplace Policy, including a
referral for treatment, counseling or
rehabilitation programs, shall include procedures to protect
the confidentiality of treatment records as
well as the employee's identity;
7. The director of each agency shall report quarterly, the first of January,
April, July, and October, to the
Division of Human Resources and Office of Drug Policy any
violations of the Idaho Alcohol and Drug-
Free Workplace Policy and the corrective actions taken.
"Quarterly" means the report shall be filed the
first day of January, April, July, and October. The report
shall, to the extent practicable, protect the
confidentiality of the employee involved, but shall describe
the nature of the employee's position;
8. The Division of Human Resources in conjunction with the Office of Drug Policy
shall annually compile
information regarding violations of this policy and the
corrective actions taken, and report this
information by June 30 to the Governor. Any information so
reported shall be reported in a manner to
avoid revealing the identity of the employees involved. The
Division of Human Resources and the
Office of Drug Policy, when they compile this data, shall do
so by type of position so as to determine
whether there is an alcohol or drug problem in any
"safety-sensitive" positions;
9. Whenever there is an alcohol or drug problem in a "safety-sensitive"
position, it is critical that the
problem be addressed aggressively. For the purpose of this
policy, a "safety-sensitive" position is one
in which:
A. The duties involve
a greater-than-normal level of trust for, responsibility for, or impact on the
health and safety of the employee or others; and
B. Errors in judgment,
inattentiveness or diminished coordination, dexterity, or composure while
performing the duties could result in mistakes that would endanger the health
and safety of the
employee or others; and
C. Employees in these
positions work with such independence that it cannot be safely assumed that
mistakes such as those described in subsection (B) could be prevented by a
supervisor or
another employee;
10. In the event the Division of Human Resources finds an alcohol or drug
problem in any agency or
classification, it shall report that to the
Governor and the Office of Drug Policy, and the agency,
working in conjunction with the Division of Human
Resources and the Governor, shall develop a
program to respond to the problem. This program
may include alcohol or drug testing for employees
in safety-sensitive classifications where such a
problem has been documented;
11. All state agencies responsible to the Governor are directed, and all other
public entities are
requested, to assist the Division of Human
Resources in discharging its responsibilities under this
order;
12. Nothing in this order shall be deemed to abrogate any existing policy or
directive relating to alcohol or
drug use by state employees or to affect any
existing or future state employee disciplinary
proceeding; and
Where federal laws or regulations require the State to implement more
stringent regulations than those contained in this policy, those federal
regulations and procedures supersede and/or augment this policy.
This Executive Order shall cease to be effective four years after its entry
into force.
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused to be affixed the Great
Seal of the State of Idaho at the Capitol in Boise on this 31st Day of August in
the year of our Lord two thousand and seven and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred thirty-second and of the Statehood of
Idaho the one hundred eighteenth.

C.L. "BUTCH" OTTER
GOVERNOR

BEN YSURSA
SECRETARY OF STATE
(printable PDF file)
Executive
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