A national survey has found that more than one in twenty
Australian workers report using alcohol while at work or just
before work, and more than one in fifty report taking drugs
during or just before work. These findings, published online
today in the journal Addiction, have implications for workplace
safety. Researchers used data from the 2007 National Drug
Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS), which polled over 23,000
Australian residents aged 12 and over on their use of alcohol,
tobacco, and other drugs. The resulting statistics showed that
working while under the influence of alcohol or drugs was more
likely to happen in the hospitality, construction, and financial
services industries. Young, male, never married workers with no
dependent children were likelier than other groups to work under
the influence of alcohol or drugs. Managers showed the highest
prevalence of alcohol use at work, while tradespeople and
unskilled workers were most likely to use drugs at work. The
most commonly used workplace drugs we