Applicants for employment in certain health and security-related University positions will be required to undergo screening for drugs and alcohol beginning April 1.
The policy will apply to about 35,000 University jobs, mostly in the Medical Center.
The policy will affect only applicants for positions that directly impact individuals' safety, including hospital staff, University Police, security officers and operators of hazardous equipment.
Thomas Gausvik, University chief human resource officer, emphasized that "this is not a random screening process."
Testing is not required for those who currently are employed by the University unless there is sufficient reason to believe that an employee may be using a controlled substance, Gausvik said.
He emphasized that there is no provision for random testing, except when offenders return to work.
The University Health System proposed this policy four years ago, and it had been in development until now, he said.
Board of Visitors Rector John P. Ackerly III said the University proposed the policy to create a safer working environment and said the University "has a greater obligation to protect the public" because it is a public institution.
The Board officially approved the proposal at its February meeting.
Analysis of urine, blood, hair or breath may be used to determine substance abuse in those already employed at the University but only after several people claim to have seen the employee impaired; the employee then has a chance to explain his or her behavior, Gausvik said.
The University may impose a range of sanctions on employees found to have been impaired on the job, from counseling to reassignment within the University to immediate dismissal.
Drug and alcohol screening is standard practice at workplaces across the country, Gausvik said.
Martha Jefferson Hospital, the Medical College of Virginia, Augusta Medical Center and Rockingham Memorial Hospital currently require job applicants to be tested for drugs and alcohol.
Ellen Boswell, a technical specialist in the hospital's hematology division, said she thinks the policy is necessary.
"We've had a problem before at work, and it was thrown out because there was no policy," Boswell said.
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