An Analysis of Worker Drug Use and Workplace Policies and Programs

4.1 Distribution of Current Illicit Drug and Heavy Alcohol Use by Occupation

As shown in Figure 1.1 and discussed in Chapter 1, 7.6 percent of full-time workers age 18-49 reported current illicit drug use and 8.4 percent reported heavy alcohol use. These overall percentages also appear as reference points at the top of Table 4.1. As can be seen from Table 4.1, current illicit drug use and heavy alcohol use varied considerably across occupational categories. Construction workers had the highest rate of both current illicit drug and heavy alcohol use at 15.6 percent and 17.6 percent, respectively. The rate of current illicit drug use among construction workers was significantly higher than the rate among members of any other group except those in food preparation, sales workers, or handlers and helpers. Disproportionately high rates of current illicit drug use were seen among workers in sales occupations (11.4%), employees in food preparation, including waitstaff and bartenders (11.2%), and those engaged as either handlers, helpers, or laborers (10.6%) or as machine operators or inspectors (10.5%). The occupation categories with above-average rates of heavy alcohol use, in addition to construction, were handlers, helpers, and laborers (15.7%), machine operators and inspectors (13.5%), transportation and material movers (13.1%), precisionproduction and repair workers (13.1%), and employees in food preparation, including waitstaff and bartenders (12.2%).

At the lower end of the drug or heavy alcohol use spectrum, workers in protective services displayed the lowest rate of current illicit drug use (3.2%); those in administrative support occupations reported the lowest rate of heavy alcohol use (3.5%).

Although in many instances current illicit drug and heavy alcohol use among workers followed similar patterns—both were relatively high, as in construction, or low, as in the executive, administrative and managerial category—there are obvious exceptions. For example, in some occupations—such as protective services, precision production and repair, or transportation and material moving—rates of current illicit drug use among workers were noticeably lower than rates of heavy alcohol use. In contrast, workers in sales or administrative support occupations had higher rates of current illicit drug use than heavy alcohol use.

With regard to the distributions presented in Table 4.1, some caution is in order. For example, as noted above in Chapters 2 and 3, among full-time workers rates of current illicit drug use and heavy alcohol use declined with age, were higher among males than females, and varied by income, race/ethnicity, and the size of the establishment in which they worked (the latter with regard to current illicit drug use only). Thus to the extent that a specific occupation attracts or requires the skills (such as physical strength) of a particular sociodemographic group, is seen by workers as an entry-level position, or is associated with smaller establishment size, the overall rate of current illicit drug use or heavy alcohol use within an occupation may be confounded by these other factors. Construction, an occupation that is disproportionately male, and food- or beverage-related positions, which are staffed heavily by those in younger age and lower income categories, are cases in point. [ The average age among full-time workers, age 18-49, in the 1994-B NHSDA was 34.7. Among workers in food service, waitstaff, and bartending occupations the average age was 30.0. Moreover, while only 8.9 percent of full-time workers, age 18-49, reported personal incomes of less than $9,000 per year, 35.8 percent of workers in food service, waitstaff, and bartending occupations reported personal incomes of less than $9,000 per year. Finally, although 58.9 percent of full-time workers, age 18-49, were male, 98.5 percent of construction workers were male.] Furthermore, as mentioned in Chapter 1, the NHSDA does not include information on the timing of use that would indicate the extent to which current illicit drug use or heavy alcohol use is associated with impaired job performance.

Table 4.1Percentage of Full-Time Workers, Age 18-49, Reporting Current Illicit Drug Use and Heavy Alcohol Use, By Occupation Categories, 1994
Occupation Category		Current Illicit Drug Use		Heavy Alcohol Use
Total		7.6		8.4
Executive, Administrative & Managerial		5.5		6.5
Professional Specialty		5.1		4.3
Technicians & Related Support		5.5		6.2
Sales		11.4		8.3
Administrative Support		5.9		3.5
Protective Service		3.2		6.3
Food Preparation, Waitstaff & Bartenders		11.2		12.2
Other Service		5.6		5.1
Precision Production & Repair		7.9		13.1
Construction		15.6		17.6
Extractive & Precision Production		8.6		12.9
Machine Operators & Inspectors		10.5		13.5
Transportation & Material Moving		5.3		13.1
Handlers, Helpers & Laborers		10.6		15.7

Note: Heavy alcohol use is defined as drinking five or more drinks on five or more occasions in the previous 30 days.

Source: Office of Applied Studies, SAMHSA, National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, 1994-B.

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.