The recent AFL and ASADA investigation into the use of drugs in sport has brought to light drug use as a performance enhancing supplement and Essendon football club are currently undergoing investigations into the use of drugs to enhance the performance of players.

At GC Law we deal with personal and work place injury compensation claims every day and in this article we look at how much of an impact does drugs and alcohol have on work related accidents.

In a study conducted by SafeWork SA (Department for Administrative and Information Services) and Drug and Alcohol Services South Australia (Southern Adelaide Health Service) and released in 2006 found that alcohol is a contributing factor in an estimated 4% of work-related fatalities whilst other drugs are estimated to contribute to 2% of work-related fatalities. In total, alcohol and/or other drugs are involved in at least 5% of work-related fatalities in Australia.

The 2004 National Drug Strategy Household Survey reported that approximately 4.4% of all Australians went to work affected by alcohol, whilst 2% of Australians went to work affected by illicit drugs. In addition, over 6% of participants reported that the workplace was their usual place of consumption of alcohol (Australian Institute of Health & Welfare 2005)

Sporting clubs and the AFL are not alone in trying to work out the best solution to dealing with drugs and alcohol in the workplace. When asked what types of strategies had the most impact in reducing alcohol and other drug related harm, workplaces identified testing programs, education, policies and disciplinary action as having the most impact.

If you or any member of your family is injured at work, it is most important that you seek legal advice as to your rights to claim compensation.

At GC Law we are specialist compensation lawyers and we will fight for your rights.

We work on a no win no fee basis, which means if we don’t win you don’t pay.

Please use our Free Case Review process to start your claim and our team of Gold Coast lawyers will contact you and advise you on the next steps.