Considering the general prevalence of alcohol and other drug use in the general Canadian population, it is not surprising that substance use problems are a leading cause of performance problems or impairment on the job (along with stress, fatigue and illness). Alcohol and other drug use can impact the workplace in several ways:
- acute intoxication by a psychoactive substance can affect a worker's judgment, alertness, perception, motor coordination, and emotional state. Drug impairment may not be obvious with simple tasks, but as the psycho-motor demand of a task increases, it generally takes less of most drugs for impairment to occur;
- the abuse of substances will, in many cases, result in hangover or withdrawal effects-as the drug is leaving the body-that can impact workplace performance even if the substance was used during non-work time;
- longer-term, heavy use can lead to chronic or dependent use that results in ongoing performance and health problems.
Alcohol, medications such as benzodiazepines, sleeping pills and painkillers, and cannabis appear to be the substances of greatest concern in the workplace, due to the prevalence of their use and their effect on psychomotor tasks. While hallucinogens such as LSD clearly have a negative effect on performance, few adult Canadians use them. Tobacco withdrawal has been shown to decrease cognitive functioning.
The most recent survey on workplace substance abuse was conducted in Alberta. It found that the most frequently reported impacts of substance abuse incidents by employers and union representatives were missing a day of work or arriving late for work due to alcohol/drug use, work pace was slowed, made a lot of mistakes, dismissal, or someone was sent home due to impairment or hangover. The Alberta study estimated that the four million hours lost as a result of gambling, the use of alcohol and the use of illicit drugs have an associated cost of $7 million, $51 million and $16 million respectively. This does not include related costs such as lost production due to absenteeism, cost of temporary workers, and wages paid to absent workers. General population surveys also provide some insight into use patterns. The most recent (2001) survey of Ontario adults found there have been no significant downward trends in substance use. Approximately 80% of adults are current drinkers (consistent with the Alberta findings) and a greater percentage of men are daily and heavy drinkers than women. Twice as many men as women are current marijuana users, with highest use levels in the 18-to-39 age group.
Similar results were found at the national level. The
Canadian Addiction Survey (CAS) published in 2004 found that 79% of Canadian adults are current drinkers, and of these, 44% drink weekly and 17% are considered high-risk drinkers (25% of males). The number of current marijuana users has doubled since 1994 to 14%, with a higher percentage of men (18.2%) than women (10.2%) being current users and the highest proportion of users occurring in younger age groups. Of these, 20% use weekly and 18% daily. One in six Canadians report using an illicit drug other than cannabis in their lifetime, but past-year use is at 1% or lower except for cocaine (1.9%)
While the evidence is not readily available, it is generally agreed that substance abuse has a number of other impacts in the workplace, including general job performance (e.g., lower quality products, redone work), job turn-over (e.g., loss of experienced employees/corporate memory, severance, recruitment and orientation costs), legal liabilities associated with accidents and injuries, increased sick leave or other employee health benefit costs, disruptive behaviour and declining work relationships, pilfering and vandalism, and grievances and arbitrations.
Substance use and abuse occur in virtually all populations and sectors; however, studies have shown that males, youth, and workers in particular sectors or occupations (e.g., construction, materials handling, transport, food and beverage, sales, seafaring, brewery, journalism, domestic work, mining, small business and armed forces) to be more associated with workplace substance abuse. Workers in the construction, utilities, forestry/mining, wholesale/retail trade, public administration and finance/insurance/real estate sectors were most likely to report substance use at work, at-risk use, and multiple substance use. At risk industries tend to have higher concentrations of young males 18 to 24 years of age, the demographic group most at risk for substance use. The Alberta researchers reported the safety-sensitive nature of many at-risk industries heightens concerns that substance abuse or use while at work may have serious implications for job performance and safety.
Aside from the obvious health, safety and productivity concerns, other factors prompting companies to address substance abuse include government legislation (e.g., Canada Labour Code and provincial health and safety legislation, U.S. requirements for Canadian cross-border truck and bus drivers and rail operations), liability concerns where alcohol or other drug use may have contributed to an accident, contractor requirements (e.g., many Canadian companies require contractors to have a substance abuse policy), and the desire to achieve high quality and ethical standards. Some see substance abuse as a "red flag" for organizational or work design problems.
In addressing substance abuse in the workplace, employers are advised to try to reconcile their need to demonstrate due diligence in creating a safe workplace with the need to respect employee rights. The measures they take should be aimed at achieving a balance between preventing problems before they arise (health promotion) and addressing problems once they do arise (health recovery), and between clearly stated expectations with sanctions and a supportive environment that values employee health and safety.
Sources
CAMH Monitor eReport: Addiction and Mental Health Indicators among Ontario Adults in 2001, and Changes since 1977
Adlaf, E. and Ialomiteanu, A.
CAMH Research Document Servies No. 12
Toronto, ON: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), 2002.
Alcohol and drugs in the workplace
Butler, Barbara
Toronto, ON: Butterworths, 1993.
Canadian Addiction Survey (CAS): A national survey of Canadians' use of alcohol and other drugs: Prevalence of use and related harms: Highlights
Ottawa, ON: Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA), November, 2004.
The effects of psychoactive substances on workplace performance
Coambs, Robert B.; McAndrews, Mary P.
IN: Macdonald, Scott; Roman, Paul (eds.) Drug testing in the workplace: research advances in alcohol and drug problems, Volume 2. New York, NY: Plenum Press, 1994, Chapter 4, p. 77-96.
Extent and impact of alcohol and drug use problems in the workplace: a review of the empirical evidence
Martin, Jack K., Kraft, Joan M., Roman, Paul M.
IN: Macdonald, Scott; Roman, Paul (eds.) Drug testing in the workplace: research advances in alcohol and drug problems, Volume 2. New York, NY: Plenum Press, 1994, Chapter 1, p. 3-31.
Substance Use and Gambling in the Alberta Workplace, 2002: A Replication Study
R.A. Malatest and Assoc. Ltd.
Edmonton, AB: Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission, 2002.
see also: Substance Use and Gambling in the Alberta Workplace, 2002: A Replication Study: Summary Report