The OVV certificate: why a system, not a test, keeps work safe

When a suspicion of reduced psychophysical capacity arises – because of alcohol, drugs, other psychoactive substances or medication – there is no time left to look for answers. The manager must know who may act, how the suspicion is documented, what happens in the event of a refusal and who may access the result. In September 2026 IVSR published the certification scheme OVV – Responsible Management and a Safe Working Environment, which verifies exactly that: whether the employer's system also works when something happens.

What does the law require?

Article 51 of the Slovenian Occupational Health and Safety Act (ZVZD-1) provides that a worker may not work or be present at the workplace under the influence of alcohol, drugs or other prohibited substances. At workplaces with a higher risk of accidents the prohibition also covers medication that can affect psychophysical capacity, where the safety statement with the risk assessment so provides. The employer establishes such a state under a procedure and in a manner laid down in its internal rules, and must remove the affected worker from work.

The law therefore requires a procedure. It does not prescribe how that procedure must work in practice: who recognises a suspicion on the night shift, who may order a test, what happens if the employee refuses, and where the result ends up. It is in that gap that the mistakes occur which expose an organisation legally, operationally and in its dealings with staff.

Why is a policy not enough?

Most organisations have a policy. Fewer have a system. A policy is the beginning; it is not proof that the system works. OVV therefore assesses the gap between what is written in internal rules and what the organisation actually does. The subject of the assessment is the employer's system, not individual employees – and not their state of health.

A single incident or positive result does not in itself mean a failed system. What matters is whether the organisation detected it in time, handled it correctly and derived the necessary improvements from it. That is the difference between a system that exists on paper and one that withstands a real event.

What does OVV assess?

The assessment covers eight parts of one system:

1. Legal and internal framework – clarity, accessibility and consistency of the rules in relation to the actual risks.
2. Risk assessment – differentiation between workplaces and proportionality of measures.
3. Responsibilities and authority – who recognises a suspicion, who decides, who leads the procedure.
4. Competence – whether managers, HR, OHS and everyone else involved know their tasks.
5. Employee involvement – comprehensibility of the rules and awareness of rights.
6. Operational procedures – handling a suspicion, an incident, a refusal and a positive or disputed result.
7. Records and personal data – the minimum necessary data, restricted access, traceability.
8. Monitoring and improvement – corrective actions and regular management review.

Each area is verified through documents, interviews and evidence of actual use. The mere existence of a policy is not enough.

How does the assessment work and who decides?

The process starts with an introductory conversation and the definition of scope: the certificate always refers to a predefined organisation, location, unit, group of workplaces or process. A self-assessment, a review of evidence, interviews and the assessment follow, then a report with findings, non-conformities and deadlines for remedying them. The award and the level – Bronze, Silver or Gold – are decided by a person or committee that did not carry out the main advisory or assessment work at the same organisation. The level is determined by evidence, not by the package ordered; joining the process does not guarantee the award of the certificate or of a particular level.

The certificate is valid for twelve months and is reassessed before it expires. Every certificate awarded will be entered in a public register with the organisation, the exact scope, the level, a unique number, the scheme version and the issue and expiry dates.

What does the certificate confirm, and what does it not?

OVV confirms that, within the stated scope and on the date of the decision, the organisation met the criteria of the applicable version of the scheme and demonstrated with appropriate evidence that the system works. It does not assess the health of individual employees, does not guarantee the absence of alcohol, drugs, incidents or injuries, does not confirm the lawfulness of every individual measure and does not replace a risk assessment, occupational medicine, OHS or a legal assessment. It is a private IVSR programme certificate; it is not a state, ISO or accredited certificate.

How to start?

The quickest first step is the quick self-check of eight statements, which stays in your browser and is not sent to IVSR. The result is not an assessment and does not forecast a level, but it shows where the priority gaps are. The next step is an introductory conversation about scope, evidence and the conditions of the assessment – it is not an application and creates no obligation to enter into a contract. The legal framework is summarised in our guide to ZVZD-1, and the concept in the glossary under reduced psychophysical capacity.