Alcohol and the workplace

Alcohol is the most widely used drug in the world and its use in the workplace can have serious consequences on safety, productivity, working relationships, and absenteeism. Some of the effects of alcohol consumption on the workplace, along with the types of responses that companies can make, are covered in this review. The text opens with a historical overview of the subject, tracing the development of factories, management styles, and alcohol policies. Effects of alcohol use at work, such as accidents, are then explored, followed by a discussion of the economics of alcohol use. Included in the latter section are estimates of the cost of alcohol use. Some of the factors, such as worksite-specific conditions, related to alcohol consumption in the workplace are covered, followed by workplace alcohol policies. The advent of the testing and screening of workers is then detailed, along with the trade unions' response and some of the legal aspects engendered by testing. Procedural and security standards, test interpretations, test credibility, test program outcomes, and the prevalence of testing in industry are described. The book concludes with an overview of alcohol policies and a discussion of industry's response to alcohol.