Alcohol and other drugs in the workplace: A focus on employed Australians - report 2

April 2023
Citation: 
Duraisingam, V., McEntee, A., Nicholas, R., Pointer, S. & Bowden, J. (2022). Alcohol and other Drug Use: A Focus on Employed Australians. Part 2: Implications for workplaces. Adelaide, South Australia: National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction (NCETA), Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute (FHMRI), Flinders University.

NCETA will soon be releasing two reports from a large body of work undertaken to examine the impact of alcohol and other drugs on Australian workplaces and the current state of research regarding approaches to prevent and minimise associated harms.  

The second report examines:

  • The proportion of employed Australians reporting they have an AOD policy in their workplace, and the impact of polices on AOD use across industries
  • The efficacy of various intervention models and methodologies including workplace drug testing
  • New and emerging AOD issues impacting the workplace, and
  • The implications and recommendations for the design of interventions.

The report identified a range of promising interventions worthy of further examination, but concluded that evidence remains scant and inconclusive to substantiate the effectiveness of drug testing as a health and safety strategy to deter use, reduce injury and absenteeism/presenteeism.