A national survey of 494 workers has found 58% consumed alcohol at “hazardous” levels, and a further 15% were at “significant risk of harm”, based on the World Health Organization’s Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test.
Around 32% of construction site workers surveyed had used ecstasy or methamphetamine-type substances in the past year, and 16% had used cannabis in the same time period.
The reported drug use is higher than the most recent figures for the overall population, which show that 10.3% of Australians aged 14 years and over had used cannabis in the past 12 months, 3% had used ecstasy, and 2.1% had used amphetamines.
Study authors said the next step would be to develop an industry policy and associated change management program, including case studies demonstrating industry best practice. There was a wealth of anecdotal evidence from the building sector about the use of drugs and alcohol and the associated safety risks on construction sites, they added.
Read more at Queensland University of Technology