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Note: The following statistics should not be attributed
to the U.S. Department of Labor, but rather their respective
footnoted sources listed at the bottom of the page.
Both domestically and worldwide, American products have long
been associated with quality. In today's marketplace, manufacturing
industry employers uphold this leading position by carefully
balancing technical machinery and human talent. Clearly, manufacturers
who abuse alcohol and other drugs threaten not only their colleagues
and clients, but also America's well-established reputation
as a producer of top-quality wares. By keeping the nation's
factories and workshops free of alcohol and drugs, industry
employers work to ensure that the label 'Made in America' continues
to symbolize the spirit of high-quality craftsmanship that has
for so long characterized the nation's manufacturers.
A Federal government survey revealed that workplace substance
abuse is a significant problem in both the non-durable and durable
goods sectors of the manufacturing industry. Roughly 15 percent
of workers in both sectors admit to having used illicit drugs
in the last year and about 7 percent report current heavy alcohol
use.1
Rates of substance abuse among workers employed in several
different areas of the durable goods sector are as follows:2
| |
|
Category
|
Current Illicit Drug Use (%)
|
Past Year Illicit Drug Use (%)
|
Current Heavy Alcohol Use (%)
|
|
Electrical Machinery
|
5.6
|
10.3
|
2.7
|
|
Lumber and Wood Products
|
8.9
|
15.8
|
12.0
|
|
Machinery
|
6.7
|
12.7
|
7.3
|
|
Metal Industries
|
6.8
|
21.4
|
10.0
|
|
Professional Equipment
|
7.7
|
16.0
|
7.3
|
|
Transportation Equipment
|
4.8
|
13.4
|
8.2
|
|
Rates of substance abuse among workers employed in several
different areas of the non-durable goods sector are as follows:3
| |
|
Category
|
Current Illicit Drug Use (%)
|
Past Year Illicit Drug Use (%)
|
Current Heavy Alcohol Use (%)
|
|
Apparel Products
|
6.8
|
11.5
|
3.8
|
|
Chemical Products
|
3.6
|
9.6
|
9.5
|
|
Food Products
|
10.3
|
18.4
|
8.3
|
|
Paper Products
|
8.0
|
12.7
|
5.3
|
|
Printing and Publishing
|
11.7
|
24.6
|
7.2
|
|
Rubber and Plastic Products
|
2.5
|
11.5
|
4.1
|
|
Textile Products
|
3.9
|
10.2
|
6.1
|
|
From large multinational corporations to relatively small businesses,
manufacturing firms across the country are implementing drug-free
workplace programs to ensure productive workforces and safe
workplaces — company features that ultimately result in
increased profitability and success.
Endnotes:
1 US Department of Health and Human Services Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (1996). Drug
Use among U.S. Workers: Prevalence and Trends by Occupation
and Industry Categories. Rockville, MD: US Department of
Health and Human Services.
2 Ibid.
3 Ibid.
©U.S. Department of Labor
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