Substance Abuse and Violence Toolbox Talk

Substance abuse can increase the risk of unsafe behavior, poor decisions, conflict, aggression, and violence on a jobsite. Alcohol, drugs, misuse of medication, or coming to work impaired can affect judgment, reaction time, balance, communication, and a person’s ability to control anger.

This talk focuses on how substance abuse can connect to workplace violence risks. The goal is to help crews recognize warning signs, avoid confrontation, report concerns early, and stop work when impairment or aggressive behavior puts people in danger.

Why This Matters

• Impaired workers may react aggressively to correction, delays, mistakes, or normal jobsite pressure.
• Substance use can make threats, arguments, or harassment more likely to escalate.
• Impairment around tools, equipment, ladders, lifts, trenches, traffic, and energized systems can cause serious injuries.
• Reporting concerns early helps supervision remove risk before someone gets hurt.
• No worker should have to handle an impaired or aggressive person alone.

Common Hazards

• A worker smelling of alcohol, acting confused, stumbling, slurring words, or struggling to follow directions.
• Sudden mood swings, anger, paranoia, threats, yelling, or aggressive body language.
• Arguments after someone is corrected for unsafe work, poor quality, missed steps, or damaged materials.
• Workers trying to cover for someone who may be impaired because they are a friend or longtime coworker.
• Substance use in vehicles, parking areas, restrooms, break areas, trailers, or remote parts of the site.
• Impaired driving of forklifts, trucks, lifts, skid steers, or other equipment.
• Retaliation or threats after a worker reports suspected impairment or unsafe behavior.
• An impaired visitor, driver, customer, tenant, or member of the public becoming aggressive near the crew.

Safety Checklist

Before Work Begins

• Know the company and site rules for impairment, substance use, reporting, and fit-for-duty expectations.
• Review who to contact if a worker, visitor, driver, or subcontractor appears impaired or aggressive.
• Identify high-risk tasks where impairment could be deadly, such as operating equipment, working at height, rigging loads, trench work, traffic control, or energized work.
• Make sure workers know they can report concerns without retaliation.
• Plan extra supervision for early starts, night work, overtime, remote areas, or high-stress phases of the job.

During Work

• Watch for signs of impairment, unsafe behavior, aggression, or major changes in mood or coordination.
• Do not accuse, shame, joke about, or argue with someone who may be impaired.
• Keep distance if the person becomes angry, threatening, confused, or unpredictable.
• Report concerns to supervision, safety, HR, security, or the site contact right away.
• Stop the person from performing high-risk work only through safe supervision or site procedures.
• Move nearby workers away from equipment, heights, traffic, trenches, energized systems, and suspended loads if conflict starts.
• Call emergency services if there is immediate danger, a weapon, assault, overdose concern, or serious medical emergency.

Crew Talking Points

• What signs could show that someone is impaired or not fit for duty?
• Who should workers report suspected impairment or aggressive behavior to on this jobsite?
• Which tasks today would be most dangerous if someone was impaired?
• How can the crew report concerns without turning it into gossip or confrontation?
• What should we do if an impaired visitor, driver, tenant, or member of the public approaches the work area?
• Does anyone have a question, concern, or situation they need to raise before work starts?

Stop Work If

• A worker appears impaired and is operating equipment, driving, working at height, handling loads, working in trenches, or doing energized work.
• Someone becomes aggressive, threatening, confused, or unpredictable.
• There is substance use, suspected overdose, or a medical emergency on site.
• A worker threatens retaliation after an impairment concern is reported.
• A conflict distracts workers near equipment, ladders, scaffolds, trenches, traffic, energized systems, or suspended loads.
• A weapon is seen, mentioned, suspected, or brought onto the jobsite.

Final Reminder

Impairment and aggression are serious jobsite risks. Report concerns early, keep distance, and stop work when substance abuse or violence could harm the crew.