Study confirms safety implications of drug use

An HSE study has confirmed that recreational drug use may have effects on safety at work, though more research is needed to clarify these findings.

Researchers found that 13% of workers reported drug use in the previous year, though the rate varied considerably with age, from 3% of those over 50 to 29% of those under 30. Drug use is most strongly linked to smoking and heavy drinking.

The study found that drug use affects cognitive performance, though this varies with the drugs used. Researchers also found an association between drug use and minor injuries among those who are also experiencing other minor injury risk factors.

The scale and impact of illegal drug use by workers (RR193) can be downloaded from www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrpdf/rr193.pdf