Substance Use While Working Prevalent in Australia

Employers do much to encourage a drug- and alcohol-free work environment. With many companies conducting random drug testing and offering insurance plans that cover drug and alcohol treatment programs, the message is clearly communicated that drugs and alcohol have no place at work.

However, many who use drugs and alcohol do not perceive that their use is affecting their workplace, according to a report published online in the journal Addiction. It shows wide use of drugs and alcohol in the Australian workplace, and workers unaware of the possible impact of that use.

The national survey reports that more than one in twenty Australian workers admit to using alcohol while at work or just before work. More than one in fifty Australian workers admits to taking drugs during or just before work. The report indicates that drugs and alcohol are having a significant impact on the workplace and its safety.

The report utilized data from the 2007 National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS). The survey polled approximately 23,000 people aged 12 and older, asking them about usage of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.

The researchers analyzed the data to find that working under the influence of drugs was most likely to happen in hospitality, construction and financial services industries. The individuals most likely to use drugs or alcohol in the workplace tended to be young, male, never married and without dependent children.

It appears that as workers climb the ladder, alcohol use is more prevalent. Managers were the most likely to use alcohol at work. The opposite was true when it came to drugs. Tradespeople and unskilled workers were the most likely to use drugs at work.

Painkillers, amphetamines and methamphetamines were the most commonly used drugs in the workplace, followed by marijuana and ecstasy. However, the most popular substance used at work was alcohol by a wide margin.

In addition, the survey's report also showed that many workers who use alcohol or drugs at work do not understand their impact on workplace safety. Only 17 percent of workers who use alcohol at work also indicated that they were at work while under the influence of alcohol. This reveals that the participants did not associate drinking at work with putting themselves and others at risk with a potentially dangerous impairment. Those who used drugs in the workplace showed a similar discrepancy.

The discrepancy may be in some part due to the fact that many workers use drugs or alcohol after their shift is over but when they have not yet left the workplace, with usage occurring in break or lunch rooms.