An Analysis of Worker Drug Use and Workplace Policies and Programs

Figure 5.1Percentage of Full-Time Workers, Age 18-49, Reporting That Their Workplace Provides Information, Has a Written Policy, or Provides Access to an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Concerning Drug or Alcohol Use, by Establishment Size and Current Illicit Drug Use, 1994

Ninety-seven percent of workers in protective service occupations reported receiving information about alcohol or drug use, and 94.4 percent stated that their workplace had a written policy; in contrast, 56.8 percent of construction workers noted the existence of such information, and 54.7 percent of workers in this occupation category reported that there was a written policy at their workplace regarding employee use of alcohol or drugs. Furthermore, only 61.5 percent of workers involved in food preparation, service, or bartending reported receiving information and only 56.6 percent of these workers reported the existence of written policies at their workplace regarding employee use of alcohol or drugs. According to the results of Chapter 4, workers in protective service occupations had a relatively low rate of current illicit drug use, while workers in construction and food preparation occupations had a relatively high rate of current illicit drug use. Therefore, the association between workplace information and written policies and employee use of illicit drugs should be examined further.

This page was last updated on June 03, 2008.

SAMHSA, an agency in the Department of Health and Human Services, is the Federal Government's lead agency for improving the quality and availability of substance abuse prevention, addiction treatment, and mental health services in the United States.