Employee attitudes toward work-site alcohol testing.

Abstract

Few studies have been published on how employees feel about work-site alcohol testing. By mail, we surveyed employees (n = 6370) at 16 corporate work sites stratified by type of work force, industrial setting, and managerial tolerance toward drinking. We queried respondents about their drinking on the job and support for work-site alcohol testing under three conditions: pre-employment testing, testing after an accident, and random testing. Sixty-five percent of respondents supported pre-employment testing, 81% supported testing after an accident, and 49% supported random testing. Support was relatively consistent across hierarchy (managers, supervisors, and workers) but different by age, education, occupation, type of work force, and perceived exposure to occupational hazards. Support for work-site alcohol testing was highest among blue-collar workers whose jobs involved manufacturing or exposure to work-site hazards.