Drugs & Alcohol in the Workplace

Drug and alcohol abuse – an important workplace issue

Drug and alcohol abuse is by no means a new problem. At various times throughout history there have been movements to address substance abuse and its effects. These range from the early temperance movements, prohibition in the United States, the banning of absinthe, the various campaigns against drug producers and traffickers, and the increasingly vigorous measures currently being taken against drinking and driving.

The issue of drug and alcohol abuse at the workplace has traditionally been met by a dismissive attitude and the reflex of trying to sweep the problem under the carpet, based more on moral precepts than a concern for the health issues involved. Yet, drug and alcohol abuse is not a problem which can be isolated from the workplace.

Drug and alcohol abuse – An important factor in accidents, absenteeism and illness

Drug and alcohol abuse not only affects work performance in general, but also results in higher rates of absenteeism, accidents, illness and mortality, with all their related costs. It is therefore an important health and safety issue in its own right. Over recent years, studies have shown that:

• absenteeism is two to three times higher for drug and alcohol users than for other employees;
• employees with chemical dependence problems may claim three times as many sickness benefits and file five times as many workers’ compensation claims;
• in many workplaces, 20 to 25 per cent of accidents at work involve intoxicated people injuring themselves and innocent victims;
• on-the-job supplies of drugs and alcohol account for 15 to 30 per cent of all accidents at work.

Drug and alcohol abuse – Even fairly low levels of consumption are detrimental to performance, quality and safety

As greater knowledge has been acquired over recent years, through the increased volume of research carried out on the subject, it has become increasingly evident that workplace problems associated with substance abuse are not confined to alcoholics and drug addicts.

This is particularly true in the case of alcohol. While, at the individual level, alcoholics and other heavy drinkers are the most likely to cause accidents, their numbers in the workplace are relatively small. In comparison, the relative risk of an individual moderate or occasional drinker causing a problem associated with the consumption of alcohol is much lower. However, in collective terms, simply because their numbers are much higher, moderate and occasional drinkers account for the largest proportion of alcohol-related problems in the workplace.

Further investigations have also confirmed that a relatively high level of performance impairment can occur after the consumption of even fairly low quantities of alcohol.

According to a study, when airline pilots had to perform routine tasks in a simulator under three alcohol test conditions, it was found that:

• before the ingestion of any alcohol, 10 per cent of them could not perform all the operations correctly;
• after reaching a blood alcohol concentration of 0.10/100ml, 89 per cent could not perform all the operations correctly; and
• fourteen hours later, after all the alcohol had left their systems, 68 per cent could not perform all the operations correctly.

These findings support the establishment of broad-based prevention and problem management programs, rather than concentrating principally on the identification and rehabilitation of heavy drinkers and alcoholics. Similar research is being conducted for drug users and may well show the same results.

Drug and alcohol abuse is a problem that employers, workers and their partners just cannot afford to ignore

Drug and alcohol abuse is prevalent almost everywhere, sparing very few countries and workplaces. It is a major contributory factor in accidents, absenteeism, health problems, theft, lower productivity and job loss.

• For workers, substance abuse can result in deteriorating health, injury, disciplinary action, family problems, job loss, and therefore poverty and social deprivation.
• For employers, substance abuse leads to safety problems affecting the enterprise, the workforce and the public at large, and it gives rise to increased costs, lower productivity and loss of competitive edge.

In today’s globalized economy with its emphasis on rapid reaction, innovation and the capacity to constantly renew skills, it is easy to see that ignoring workplace substance abuse problems, and absorbing their costs, is not a viable option.

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

Alcohol and the Workplace

Drinking among U.S. workers can threaten public safety, impair job performance, and result in costly medical, social, and other problems affecting employees and employers alike. Productivity losses attributed to alcohol were estimated at $119 billion in a recent study.

Factors Contributing to Employee Drinking

Drinking rates vary among occupations, but alcohol-related problems are not characteristic of any social segment, industry, or occupation. Drinking is associated with the workplace culture and acceptance of drinking, workplace alienation, the availability of alcohol, and the existence and enforcement of workplace alcohol policies.

Workplace Culture

The culture of the workplace may either accept and encourage drinking or discourage and inhibit drinking. A workplace’s tolerance of drinking is partly influenced by the gender mix of its workers.

Studies of male-dominated occupations have described heavy drinking cultures in which workers use drinking to build solidarity and show conformity to the group. Some male-dominated occupations therefore tend to have high rates of heavy drinking and alcohol-related problems.

In predominantly female occupations both male and female employees are less likely to drink and to have alcohol-related problems than employees of both sexes in male-dominated occupations.

Workplace Alienation

Work that is boring, stressful, or isolating can contribute to employees’ drinking. Employee drinking has been associated with low job autonomy, lack of job complexity, lack of control over work conditions and products, boredom, sexual harassment, verbal and physical aggression, and disrespectful behavior.

Alcohol Availability

The availability and accessibility of alcohol may influence employee drinking. More than two-thirds of the 984 workers surveyed at a large manufacturing plant said it was “easy” or “very easy” to bring alcohol into the workplace, to drink at work stations, and to drink during breaks. Twenty-four percent reported any drinking at work at least once during the year before the survey. In a survey of 6,540 employees at 16 worksites representing a range of industries, 23 percent of upper-level managers reported any drinking during working hours in the previous month.

Restricting workers’ access to alcohol may reduce their drinking. The cultural prohibition against alcohol in the Middle East, making alcohol less available, may explain the reduction in drinking among U.S. military personnel serving in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. An estimated 80 percent of the military personnel surveyed reported decreased drinking while serving in those operations.

Supervision

Limited work supervision, often a problem on evening shifts, has been associated with employee alcohol problems. In one study of 832 workers at a large manufacturing plant, workers on evening shifts, during which supervision was reduced, were more likely than those on other shifts to report drinking at work.

Effects of Employee Drinking

Alcohol-related job performance problems are caused not only by on-the-job drinking but also by heavy drinking outside of work. The study showed found a positive relationship between the frequency of being “hungover” at work and the frequency of feeling sick at work, sleeping on the job, and having problems with job tasks or co-workers. The hangover effect was demonstrated among pilots whose performance was tested in flight simulators. The study found evidence of impairment 14 hours after pilots reached blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) of between 0.10 percent and 0.12 percent. Pilots were still significantly impaired 8 hours after reaching a BAC of 0.10 percent. Drinking at work, problem drinking, and frequency of getting “drunk” in the past 30 days were positively associated with frequency of absenteeism, arriving late to work or leaving early, doing poor work, doing less work, and arguing with co-workers.

Preventing Alcohol Problems in the Workplace

Health promotion programs offered in the workplace may reduce employees’ alcohol-related problems. An employee health promotion program delivered in three 2-hour sessions at one manufacturing plant was designed to increase participants’ awareness of the health risks related to stress and drinking. More than one-half of the 294 workers attended the sessions. Researchers based their results on data from 120 employees who completed pre-study and post-study evaluations. After 6 months, 76 percent of the heaviest drinkers reportedly reduced their alcohol consumption. Moderate drinkers also reduced their consumption, and participants reported changes in their attitudes toward drinking and drinking and driving, knowledge about problem drinking, and recognition of signs of a drinking problem.