An empirical investigation of factors related to the construction industry drug-free workplace for general contractors

Substance abuse on the job has been identified as a serious and growing problem in the United States. In the construction industry, recent Federal and State laws have been enacted establishing incentives for developing a drug-free workplace (DFW). Construction companies are responding to these incentives in different ways and with different degrees of success. It was hypothesized that communication, which has been shown to be critical to safety programs, is an important factor in developing DFW programs. This study examines DFW communication displayed by the membership of the Florida Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). An extensive literature review indicated that DFW programs in the construction industry have received little attention. This conclusion was corroborated by interviews conducted with a variety of industry and association leaders. This empirical investigation began with a structured prequalification interview with 208 ABC organizations. Those agreeing to participate further completed a separate detailed questionnaire about their general safety program, which included DFW. One subset of the participants was then exposed to monthly information about DFW programs and communication methods. The other subset was not contacted during the period. A structured interview was conducted with both subsets at the end of the four-month period. This research has shown that a construction company's size is significantly related to the presence of several communication and awareness schemes. The study also demonstrated that management's commitment and compliance to a DFW program mandated by a governing authority is independent of size. Most importantly, it was found that although 98 percent of the surveyed contractors' top management confirmed that they were committed to a DFW, in reality, they were doing little to achieve this goal. A model was developed to evaluate DFW interrelationships. It is concluded that the system of factors or incentives that leads companies to develop a drug-free workplace have identifiable variables that interact; both negatively and positively, with the positive possibly working together in a synergistic sense. It is concluded that the management awareness and financial benefits associated with a DFW ultimately will be the forces that drives the current construction industry into a drug-free industry.