Builders at risk

Construction workers are more likely to use cocaine and opioids than workers in other professions, according to a summary of a recent New York University study by Science Daily. Analyzing a decade of data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, researchers found that, compared with all other professions scrutinized, construction workers had the highest prevalence of misusing prescription opioids (3.4 percent vs. 2 percent) and cocaine use (1.8 percent vs. 0.8 percent). Builders also had the second-highest prevalence of marijuana use, following those in service jobs (12.3 percent vs. 12.4 percent). Researchers found the hazards of the job—falls, overexertion and injuries from repetitive, strenuous work—can lead to self-medication. Recent studies in Ohio and Massachusetts found that construction workers were six to seven times more likely to die from an opioid overdose than other workers. More prevention and harm-reduction programs are needed to address the issue, the researchers found.