At the recent Connecticut Construction Industries Association’s 3rd annual Safety Alliance Conference, local union and Labor Assistance Professional Kyle Zimmer delivered a presentation on substance abuse and lifestyle issues that impact construction workers. BLR Legal Editor Ana Ellington shares the highlights.
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Zimmer, IUOE Local 478 health and safety director, opened with a discussion on the results of a recent survey of 847 construction workers concerning stress, anxiety, coping, and substance abuse. According to the survey, 61.9 percent had experienced stress as a direct result of working in the construction industry, and 48.8 percent experienced anxiety as a direct result of working in the construction industry.
With these results, it is not surprising that the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s most recent study on substance use and abuse in U.S. industries shows heavy alcohol use among full-time workers (aged 18–64) in the mining (17.5 percent) and construction (16.5 percent) industries. This may suggest that hard labor roles might drive workers to drink, which has a negative impact on the workplace by increasing the risk of accidents.
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