Booze and drugs culture rife in construction industry: study

A new study has found substance abuse, including alcohol, is common among construction workers. Photo: Erin Jonasson

For better or worse, construction enjoys blokey reputation, but new research from Brisbane finds hazardous consumption of recreational drugs and booze the latest problem faced.

And the macho culture is partly to blame, alongside high wages and transient job patterns, according the Queensland University of Technology team that led the national survey.

The Safety Impacts of Alcohol and Other Drugs in Construction study drew nearly 500 workers from all areas of the industry across Australia and involved surveys and interviews over two years.

The findings, presented today by project leader Professor Herbert Biggs at an international industry conference in Scotland, showed over 50 per cent of workers consumed alcohol at "hazardous" levels, and a further 15 per cent were at "significant risk of harm".

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More than 30 per cent of respondents used ecstasy or meth/amphetamine-type substances in the past year, and 16 per cent had used cannabis in the same time period.

The majority of participants were male, with a mean age of 35.

However, industry stakeholders say the trouble went beyond substance abuse.

Master Builders Queensland construction policy director John Crittle said the sector had been over-represented in studies concerning everything from obesity to smoking and suicide for far too long.

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Booze and drugs culture rife in construction industry: study