Wisconsin Code § 103.503

Substance abuse prevention on public works and public utility projects
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(1) DEFINITIONS. In this
section:
(a) “Accident” means an incident caused, contributed to, or
otherwise involving an employee that resulted or could have resulted in death, personal injury, or property damage and that occurred while the employee was performing the work described in
s. 66.0903 (4), 2013 stats., or s. 16.856 (2m), 2015 stats., on a
project of public works or while the employee was performing
work on a public utility project.
(b) “Alcohol” has the meaning given in s. 340.01 (1q).
(c) “Contracting agency” means a local governmental unit or
a state agency that has contracted for the performance of work on
a project of public works or a public utility that has contracted for
the performance of work on a public utility project.
(d) “Drug” means any controlled substance, as defined in s.
961.01 (4), or controlled substance analog, as defined in s. 961.01
(4m), for which testing is required by an employer under its substance abuse prevention program under this section.
(e) “Employee” means a laborer, worker, mechanic, or truck
driver who performs the work described in s. 66.0903 (4), 2013
stats., or s. 16.856 (2m), 2015 stats., on a project of public works
or on a public utility project.
(f) “Employer” means a contractor, subcontractor, or agent of
a contractor or subcontractor that performs work on a project of
public works or on a public utility project.
(fm) “Local governmental unit” means a political subdivision
of this state, a special purpose district in this state, an instrumentality or corporation of such a political subdivision or special pur-

pose district, a combination or subunit of any of the foregoing, or
an instrumentality of the state and any of the foregoing.
(g) “Project of public works” means a project of public works
that would be subject to s. 66.0903, 2013 stats., if the project were
erected, constructed, repaired, remodeled, or demolished prior to
January 1, 2017, or that would be subject to s. 16.856, 2015 stats.,
if the project were erected, constructed, repaired, remodeled, or
demolished prior to September 23, 2017.
(h) “Public utility” has the meaning given in s. 196.01 (5) and
includes a telecommunications carrier, as defined in s. 196.01
(8m), an alternative telecommunications utility, as defined in s.
196.01 (1d), or, for purposes of subs. (2) and (4), a cooperative
association organized under ch. 185 for the purpose of producing
or furnishing heat, light, power, or water to its members only.
(i) “Public utility project” means a project erected, constructed, repaired, remodeled, or demolished for a public utility
on a public right-of-way. For purposes of sub. (3), “public utility
project” does not include a project erected, constructed, repaired,
remodeled, or demolished for a cooperative association organized
under ch. 185 for the purpose of producing or furnishing heat,
light, power, or water to its members only.
(j) “State agency” means any office, department, independent
agency, institution of higher education, association, society, or
other body in state government created or authorized to be created by the constitution or any law, including the legislature and
the courts. “State agency” also includes the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Authority, the Fox River Navigational System Authority, and the Wisconsin Aerospace Authority.
(2) SUBSTANCE ABUSE PROHIBITED. No employee may use,
possess, attempt to possess, distribute, deliver, or be under the influence of a drug, or use or be under the influence of alcohol,
while performing the work described in s. 66.0903 (4) , 2013
stats., or s. 16.856 (2m), 2015 stats., on a project of public works
or while performing work on a public utility project. An employee is considered to be under the influence of alcohol for purposes of this subsection if he or she has an alcohol concentration
that is equal to or greater than the amount specified in s. 885.235
(1g) (d).
(3) SUBSTANCE ABUSE PREVENTION PROGRAMS REQUIRED.
(a) Before an employer may commence work on a project of public works or a public utility project, the employer shall have in
place a written program for the prevention of substance abuse
among its employees. At a minimum, the program shall include
all of the following:
1. A prohibition against the actions or conditions specified in
sub. (2).
2. A requirement that employees performing the work described in s. 66.0903 (4) , 2013 stats., or s. 16.856 (2m) , 2015
stats., on a project of public works or performing work on a public utility project submit to random, reasonable suspicion, and
post-accident drug and alcohol testing and to drug and alcohol
testing before commencing work on the project, except that testing of an employee before commencing work on a project is not
required if the employee has been participating in a random testing program during the 90 days preceding the date on which the
employee commenced work on the project.
3. A procedure for notifying an employee who violates sub.
(2), who tests positive for the presence of a drug in his or her system, or who refuses to submit to drug or alcohol testing as required under the program that the employee may not perform
work on a project of public works or a public utility project until
he or she meets the conditions specified in sub. (4) (b) 1. and 2.
(b) Each employer shall be responsible for the cost of developing, implementing, and enforcing its substance abuse prevention
program, including the cost of drug and alcohol testing of its employees under the program. The contracting agency is not responsible for that cost, for the cost of any medical review of a test
result, or for any rehabilitation provided to an employee.
(4) EMPLOYEE ACCESS TO PROJECT. (a) No employer may
permit an employee who violates sub. (2), who tests positive for
the presence of a drug in his or her system, or who refuses to submit to drug or alcohol testing as required under the employer’s
substance abuse prevention program under sub. (3) to perform
work on a project of public works or a public utility project until
he or she meets the conditions specified in par. (b) 1. and 2. An
employer shall immediately remove an employee from work on
such a project if any of the following occurs:
1. The employee violates sub. (2), tests positive for the presence of a drug in his or her system, or refuses to submit to drug or
alcohol testing as required under the employer’s substance abuse
prevention program.
2. An officer or employee of the contracting agency has a
reasonable suspicion that the employee is in violation of sub. (2)
and requests the employer to immediately remove the employee
from work on the project.
(b) An employee who is barred or removed from work on a
project under par. (a) may commence or return to work on the
project upon his or her employer providing to the contracting
agency documentation showing all of the following:
1. That the employee has tested negative for the presence of
drugs in his or her system and is not under the influence of alcohol as described in sub. (2).
2. That the employee has been approved to commence or return to work on the project. If the employer is required to have in
place a substance abuse prevention program under sub. (3), that
approval shall be granted in accordance with the employer’s substance abuse prevention program under sub. (3).
(c) Testing for the presence of drugs or alcohol in an employee’s system and the handling of test specimens shall be conducted in accordance with guidelines for laboratory testing procedures and chain-of-custody procedures established by the substance abuse and mental health services administration of the
federal department of health and human services.
(4m) PUBLIC UTILITY PROJECTS; NONAPPLICABILITY. (a)
This section does not apply to an employee performing work on a
public utility project who is subject to drug or alcohol testing under 49 CFR Parts 40, 199, or 382.
(b) Subsection (3) does not apply to an employer that performs work on a public utility project for a cooperative association organized under ch. 185 for the purpose of producing or furnishing heat, light, power, or water to its members only.
(5) LOCAL ORDINANCES; STRICT CONFORMITY REQUIRED. A
local governmental unit, as defined in s. 66.0903 (1) (d), may enact an ordinance regulating the conduct regulated under this section only if the ordinance strictly conforms to this section.

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