Employee Drug and Alcohol Testing Statistics

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In many instances, what "hits home" in a presentation or in a discussion is a list of relevant and hard-hitting statistics and facts that for whatever reason, seem to make more of an impact on people's consciousness. 

This is why the following workplace drug and alcohol testing statistics are presented.  Please continue reading for more information about employee drug and alcohol testing statistics and facts.

The Different Kinds of Employee Alcohol Tests

There are primarily five different kinds of alcohol tests that are currently available for testing employees in the workplace:  saliva alcohol tests, blood alcohol tests (also called blood tests for alcohol or alcohol blood tests), urine alcohol tests, hair alcohol tests, and alcohol breathalyzer tests (also called alcohol breath tests or breath alcohol tests).  It can be stressed that hair tests for alcohol are a relatively recent development.  More overtly, until 2008, hair tests could not detect alcohol and were therefore used mainly for drug testing rather than for alcohol testing.

The Need For Drug and Alcohol Testing Statistics

Unfortunately, certain issues, such as the need for drug and alcohol testing in the workplace, do not make a significant impact on people’s awareness until relevant facts and statistics are presented.  With this in mind, the following drug and alcohol testing statistics and facts will be listed.

• Substance abusers are 33% to 50% less productive than individuals who are not substance abusers.
• The research literature confirms that abusive drinking is associated with negative work behaviors such as and frequent job changes and absenteeism.
• An estimated 58.8 million (51.4 percent) workers indicated that random testing would not influence their decision to work for an employer.
• The alcohol abuse research literature shows that workplace alcohol testing programs are associated with less alcohol dependence and alcohol use by employees.
• Substance abusers are absent an average of three or more weeks per year and are late for work three times more frequently than non-substance abusers.
• Approximately 40% of the industrial fatalities and 47% of the injuries that take place in the U.S. workplace are associated with alcoholism and alcohol abuse.
• An estimated 45.5 million (39.8 percent) workers reported that they would be more likely to work for an employer who tests randomly for drug or alcohol use, while 10.0 million (8.7 percent) workers reported that they would be less likely.
• Substance abusers are three to four times more likely to have an accident on the job and five times more likely to file a workers’ compensation claim.
• More than 40% of U.S. corporate CEOs who participated in a recent survey stated that the use of illegal drugs and alcohol costs them from 1% to 10% of their annual payroll.
• An estimated 50% to 80% of loss regarding pilferage and theft is related to substance-using employees.
• Substance abusers, when compared with people who are not substance abusers, file 300% to 400% more costly medical claims.

Employee Drug and Alcohol Testing Statistics: Conclusion

Various facts and statistics about alcohol testing in the workplace have been presented.  It is hoped that these statistics and facts have added some insights into the importance of employee drug and alcohol testing in today's organizations, institutions, and companies. 

Based on the above statistics, however, it is clear that employee drug and alcohol testing will more likely than not continue in the near future due to the number of drug and alcohol-related accidents, injuries, and deaths that continue to take place in the U.S. workplace.

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