Injury rates, severity, and drug testing programs in small construction companies

Abstract

Problem: Construction work is hazardous and workers consistently rank in the top of all occupations and industries for illicit drug and heavy alcohol use.

Methods: Drug-testing programs were classified into three categories: no program, pre-employment/post-accident, and pre-employment/post-accident/random/suspicion. We analyzed workers' compensation claims from 1,360 construction companies over a six-year period to assess the possible association of testing program with injury rate.

Results: Compared to no program, results respectively were RR=0.85 (CI=0.72-1.0) and RR=0.97 (CI=0.86-1.10) for all injuries, and RR=0.78 (CI=0.60-1.03) and RR=1.01 (CI=0.86-1.19) for lost-time injuries. Variability of results was exhibited across trade and union status, among other categories.

Summary: Drug-testing programs may be associated with lower, non-significant, injury rates in this population.

Impact on industry: Drug-testing programs may be associated with lower injury rates, but care should be exercised to ensure accurate injury reporting, characterize underlying safety practices of a company, and to determine quality and consistency of testing.