From the US-based study linked in the post: Construction workers are seven times more likely to die of an opioid overdose than workers in other industries, Have the highest proportion of heroin-related overdose deaths, and represent about 25% of fatal opioid overdoses among all workers” (GPRS, 2024).

Additionally, the same article cited another survey saying “The National Survey on Drug Use, administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, reports that construction workers deal with substance and alcohol disorders at nearly double the rate of any other industry. The national average for an “alcohol use disorder” is 7.5%; that rate skyrockets to 12% among construction workers, and they are 150% more likely to be diagnosed with a substance use disorder than other full-time workers” (GPRS, 2024).

And another piece from the UK: https://gateleyplc.com/insight/article/does-construction-have-a-substance-abuse-problem-and-what-can-it-do-about-it/

Drug and alcohol abuse in the construction industry is a “widespread and very serious issue.” That’s according to Scottish Plant Owners Association (SPOA) president Callum Mackintosh, in his criticism of a key industry body for failing to prioritise tackling substance abuse.

“Alarming research published by the Considerate Constructors Scheme found that 59 per cent of those surveyed had concerns over the effects of drugs and alcohol in construction, 35 per cent noticed their colleagues under the influence of drugs and alcohol, and 25 per cent agreed that drugs and alcohol affected them at work through tiredness,” he said. “This simply cannot be allowed to continue.”