Drug Watch International

RESULTS OF CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY 5-YEAR DRUG-TESTING STUDY

• <  The average construction company with a drug testing program saw a 51% reduction in injury rates within 2 years of implementing a drug-test program.

• <  Construction companies with a drug-testing program experienced an 11.41% reduction in the workers’ compensation experience-rating modification factor.

• <  Drug testing was most effective in reducing the experience-rating modification factor in the first 3 years following implementation of the program.

• <  72% of study participants with testing programs stated that they thought the benefits outweighed the costs of such a program.

• <  Participating company officials generally believed that drug testing had a positive impact on the company’s image and is an effective deterrent in preventing drug abuse.

• <  Majority of study respondents, whether or not they utilized drug testing, thought substance abuse to be a “moderately serious problem” in the construction industry.

• <  The study also revealed that larger construction companies are significantly more likely to have a drug and alcohol testing program. This leaves the smaller firms, without testing programs, vulnerable to substance abusers.

  Source: “An Evaluation of Drug Testing in the Workplace: A Study of the Construction Industry”, Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations. By Jonathan Gerber.

C. E. Edwards
Information provided as a benefit of the Arizona H.I.D.T.A., Demand-Reduction Program Drug-Free Workplaces, Schools & Communities