In keeping with the Township's philosophy of
maintaining the highest standards of professionalism in government,
the Township believes that it is in the best interest of its employees
and the public in general to publicly acknowledge and state its position
in support of an alcohol-free and drug-free workplace environment.
The use of alcohol and drugs can create serious and debilitating effects
on an employee in the performance of his/her duties with a direct
correlation in serving the needs of the public. As used in this article,
the term "employee" includes any official, independent contractor
or volunteers using any Township equipment or driving Township-owned
vehicles. The Township Committee approves and adopts the following
regulations regarding alcohol, narcotic drugs and/or other controlled
dangerous substances.
An employee, as defined in §
55-1, who provided a secondary blood or urinalysis test may challenge the results of any positive test within 10 working days after being notified of the positive results. An employee who challenges the test results shall make arrangements for the testing of the secondary blood test or urine sample and confirmation with the Newton Memorial Hospital. All costs incurred shall be borne by the employee concerned unless the second sample shall prove negative, in which event the Township shall bear the cost incurred. The employee shall ensure that the Newton Memorial Hospital provides a certified copy of the test results directly to the Township Clerk. Any scheduled disciplinary proceeding shall be postponed until the results of the blood test or urinalysis performed at the hospital are received by the Township Clerk. In the event that the second sample proves negative, disciplinary proceedings shall be terminated and the results of the positive test shall be expunged from the employee's file. Unless the employee conforms to the procedure as outlined in the section, the secondary test results will not be accepted by the Township. The employee has the right to legal counsel in regard to the enforcement of this policy.
The following options are available prior to
termination:
A. Enrollment of employee in an alcohol or drug rehabilitation
program.
B. Signing of waiver that return to the use of alcohol,
narcotic drugs or other controlled dangerous substances will result
in automatic termination of employment.
C. Mandatory periodic testing of employee after return
to duty after completion of a rehabilitation program.
D. Failure to enroll or to complete any required rehabilitation
program will result in termination from the Township.