Employees of the construction industry ranked second for drinking heavily, and fifth for drug abuse, says a new study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
On The Washington Post’s Wonkblog, drug policy reporter Christopher Ingraham writes that drug abuse, including alcohol consumption, costs the U.S. economy billions of dollars in lost productivity annually.
Data show that among the industries with the heaviest drinkers, miners topped the list, with 18% of miners reported “drinking five or more drinks on the same occasion (i.e., at the same time or within a couple of hours of each other) on five or more days in the past 30 days.” Construction workers followed closely at 17%.
Ingraham writes that variation among drug abuse and alcohol consumption across industries does not necessarily have a direct influence with the nature of work. Instead, it has more to do with the types of people who work in them.
“For instance, we know that men drink and do drugs more heavily than women,” he writes. “The researchers write that one reason miners drink so much is that miners tend to be young and male. Construction workers, on the other hand, showed abnormally high heavy drinking rates even after controlling for age and gender.”
The graphs below, by The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, show the percentage of drug and alcohol abuse by job.
Percentage of employees who drink heavily:
Percentage of employees who use illicit drugs:
Read more on the latest report on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website.
Related Stories
Giants 400 | Oct 4, 2017
Top 40 airport construction firms
Hensel Phelps, Turner Construction Co., and Skanska USA top BD+C’s ranking of the nation’s largest airport sector contractors and construction management firms, as reported in the 2017 Giants 300 Report.
Giants 400 | Sep 28, 2017
Top 85 government construction firms
Turner Construction Co., PCL Construction Enterprises, and Clark Group top BD+C’s ranking of the nation’s largest government sector contractors and construction management firms, as reported in the 2017 Giants 300 Report.
Multifamily Housing | Sep 27, 2017
Pickleball, anyone?
Two-and-a-half million Americans are playing the game with the funny name.
Giants 400 | Sep 22, 2017
Top 80 hotel construction firms
Turner Construction Co., Swinerton, and The Whiting-Turner Contracting Co. top BD+C’s ranking of the nation’s largest hotel sector contractor and construction management firms, as reported in the 2017 Giants 300 Report.
40 Under 40 | Sep 22, 2017
Meet the 40 Under 40 Class of 2017
These AEC stars are making their mark in business, philanthropy, and in their communities.
40 Under 40 | Sep 21, 2017
Meet the 40 Under 40 Class of 2017
These AEC stars are making their mark in business, philanthropy, and in their communities.
Multifamily Housing | Sep 19, 2017
Top 90 multifamily construction firms
Lendlease, Suffolk Construction, and Clark Group top BD+C’s ranking of the nation’s largest multifamily sector contractor and construction management firms, as reported in the 2017 Giants 300 Report.
Contractors | Sep 19, 2017
Commercial Construction Index finds high optimism in U.S. commercial construction industry
Hurricane recovery efforts expected to heighten concerns about labor scarcities in the south, where two-thirds of contractors already face worker shortages.
Giants 400 | Sep 13, 2017
Top 75 retail construction firms
The Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., PCL Construction Enterprises, and Shawmut Design and Construction top BD+C’s ranking of the nation’s largest retail sector contractor and construction management firms, as reported in the 2017 Giants 300 Report.
Contractors | Sep 6, 2017
Following the money: G702 progress payment certifications
There is no single method of calculating progress payments, but the most common formula is the percentage of completion applied to the total contract price, less a retainage which is held by the owner until final acceptance of the project.
