PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Safety issue revealed as 1 in 20 Australian workers admits to drinking at work

2011-06-28
(Press-News.org) A national survey has found that more than one in twenty Australian workers report using alcohol while at work or just before work, and more than one in fifty report taking drugs during or just before work. These findings, published online today in the journal Addiction, have implications for workplace safety.

Researchers used data from the 2007 National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS), which polled over 23,000 Australian residents aged 12 and over on their use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. The resulting statistics showed that working while under the influence of alcohol or drugs was more likely to happen in the hospitality, construction, and financial services industries. Young, male, never married workers with no dependent children were likelier than other groups to work under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Managers showed the highest prevalence of alcohol use at work, while tradespeople and unskilled workers were most likely to use drugs at work. The most commonly used workplace drugs were painkillers and amphetamines and methamphetamines (stimulants), followed by cannabis and ecstasy. But alcohol was by far the most popular intoxicating substance used at work.

The survey also revealed that a substantial portion of workers who use alcohol or drugs at work appear to underestimate their negative affect on workplace safety. For example, only 17% of those who reported using alcohol at work also reported attending work while under the influence of alcohol, a discrepancy that suggests the respondents did not associate drinking at work with potentially dangerous impairment. Workplace drug users showed a similar discrepancy: they used drugs at work but did not think they were drug-impaired. The discrepancy may be because some drinking and drug use occurs among co-workers after work but before leaving the workplace, in places like canteens, lunchrooms, and changing rooms. Says lead author Ken Pidd, "People may not think of a drink or a joint in the parking lot after work as a 'workplace' activity, but it does negatively affect workplace safety. Out of the 295 Australian workplace fatalities reported in 2006 and 2007, almost a third were caused by auto accidents while travelling to and from work. Showing up at work and leaving work while under the influence of alcohol or drugs may have a lot to do with those high numbers."

### END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Conservation dollars and sense

Conservation dollars and sense
2011-06-28
MIAMI – Shark populations over the last 50 years have decreased dramatically. From habitat degradation to overfishing and finning, human activities have affected their populations and made certain species all but disappear. A new article in Current Issues in Tourism by Austin J. Gallagher and Dr. Neil Hammerschlag of the R.J. Dunlap Marine Conservation Program at the University of Miami study the impact of these apex predators on coastal economies and the importance of including conservation efforts in long term management plans. The team collected data from a total ...

Scientists discover dielectron charging of water nano-droplet

Scientists discover dielectron charging of water nano-droplet
2011-06-28
Scientists have discovered fundamental steps of charging of nano-sized water droplets and unveiled the long-sought-after mechanism of hydrogen emission from irradiated water. Working together at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Tel Aviv University, scientists have discovered when the number of water molecules in a cluster exceeds 83, two excess electrons may attach to it — forming dielectrons — making it a doubly negatively charged nano droplet. Furthermore, the scientists found experimental and theoretical evidence that in droplets comprised of 105 molecules or ...

International team demonstrates subatomic quantum memory in diamond

International team demonstrates subatomic quantum memory in diamond
2011-06-28
(Santa Barbara, Calif.) –– Physicists working at the University of California, Santa Barbara and the University of Konstanz in Germany have developed a breakthrough in the use of diamond in quantum physics, marking an important step toward quantum computing. The results are reported in this week's online edition of Nature Physics. The physicists were able to coax the fragile quantum information contained within a single electron in diamond to move into an adjacent single nitrogen nucleus, and then back again using on-chip wiring. "This ability is potentially useful ...

Female mate choice enhances offspring fitness in an annual herb

Female mate choice enhances offspring fitness in an annual herb
2011-06-28
In many organisms females directly or indirectly select mates (or sperm) and potentially influence the fitness of their offspring. Mate choice and sexual selection in plants is more complex in some ways than in animals because plants are sessile organisms and often have to rely on external vectors, such as animals, for pollen transport. As such, there is only so much a plant can do to affect the timing of pollen arrival, or the size and diversity of deposited pollen. But can a plant control which pollen grains, of the hundreds that land on their stigmas, make it to the ...

Studies examine impact of media use among youth, recommend preventative measures

2011-06-28
SEATTLE – June 27, 2011 – In today's society where access to media is ever present, many parents worry about what is appropriate media usage for their children and how media consumption can potentially affect them. Two new studies led by Dr. Dimitri A. Christakis, MD, MPH and Dr. Michelle M. Garrison, PhD of Seattle Children's Research Institute, focus on different uses of media and assess how media usage can lead to depression in college students and disrupt sleep patterns in preschool aged children. The results of Dr. Christakis' study, "Problematic Internet Usage in ...

Fossilized pollen reveals climate history of northern Antarctica

Fossilized pollen reveals climate history of northern Antarctica
2011-06-28
VIDEO: Rice University scientist John Anderson discusses what researchers have learned from studying the first direct and detailed climate record from the continental shelves surrounding Antarctica, and he describes the years... Click here for more information. HOUSTON -- (June 27, 2011) -- A painstaking examination of the first direct and detailed climate record from the continental shelves surrounding Antarctica reveals that the last remnant of Antarctic vegetation ...

UCLA stem cell scientists discover new airway stem cell

2011-06-28
Researchers at UCLA have identified a new stem cell that participates in the repair of the large airways of the lungs, which play a vital role in protecting the body from infectious agents and toxins in the environment. The airways protect the body by producing and clearing mucus from the airways. The mucus is largely produced by specialized mucus glands in the airway and the mechanisms of normal and excessive mucus production are not well understood. However, this newly discovered lung stem cell for the mucus glands will likely yield new insights into this critical ...

Childhood cancer survivors are at high risk for multiple tumors as they age

2011-06-28
The largest study yet of adult childhood cancer survivors found that the first cancer is just the beginning of a lifelong battle against different forms of the disease for about 10 percent of these survivors. The research involved 14,358 individuals enrolled in the federally funded Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (CCSS). St. Jude Children's Research Hospital investigators leading the effort reported that 1,382, or 9.6 percent, of survivors developed new tumors unrelated to their original cancers. About 30 percent of those survivors, 386 individuals, developed third tumors. ...

Surprising drop in physicians' willingness to accept patients with insurance

2011-06-28
NEW YORK (June 27, 2011) -- As required under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, millions of people will soon be added to the ranks of the insured. However, this rapid expansion of coverage is colliding with a different, potentially problematic trend that could end up hampering access to health care. Since 2005, doctors have been accepting fewer and fewer patients with health insurance, according to a new study published in the June 27th issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. As a result, says Dr. Tara Bishop, assistant professor of public health ...

Landsat Satellite images reveal extent of historic North Dakota flooding

Landsat Satellite images reveal extent of historic North Dakota flooding
2011-06-28
Heavy rains in Canada caused historic flooding in Minot, N.D. Landsat satellite images taken before and during the flooding reveal the water's extent. The Souris River finally crested on June 26, but not before more than 4,000 homes and hundreds of businesses were flooded. About one-fourth of Minot's 40,000 residents evacuated the city. Residents expect a long recovery as the river slowly retreats. The Souris River reading at Minot's Broadway Bridge around 11:00 p.m. on June 25 reached nearly four feet higher than the all-time high set in 1881. The Landsat Program ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Thirty-year mystery of dissonance in the “ringing” of black holes explained

Less intensive works best for agricultural soil

Arctic rivers project receives “national champion” designation from frontiers foundation

Computational biology paves the way for new ALS tests

Study offers new hope for babies born with opioid withdrawal syndrome

UT, Volkswagen Group of America celebrate research partnership

New Medicare program could dramatically improve affordability for cancer drugs – if patients enroll

Are ‘zombie’ skin cells harmful or helpful? The answer may be in their shapes

University of Cincinnati Cancer Center presents research at AACR 2025

Head and neck, breast, lung and survivorship studies headline Dana-Farber research at AACR Annual Meeting 2025

AACR: Researchers share promising results from MD Anderson clinical trials

New research explains why our waistlines expand in middle age

Advancements in muon detection: Taishan Antineutrino Observatory's innovative top veto tracker

Chips off the old block

Microvascular decompression combined with nerve combing for atypical trigeminal neuralgia

Cutting the complexity from digital carpentry

Lung immune cell type “quietly” controls inflammation in COVID-19

Fiscal impact of expanded Medicare coverage for GLP-1 receptor agonists to treat obesity

State and sociodemographic trends in US cigarette smoking with future projections

Young adults drive historic decline in smoking

NFCR congratulates Dr. Robert C. Bast, Jr. on receiving the AACR-Daniel D. Von Hoff Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education and Training in Cancer Research

Chimpanzee stem cells offer new insights into early embryonic development

This injected protein-like polymer helps tissues heal after a heart attack

FlexTech inaugural issue launches, pioneering interdisciplinary innovation in flexible technology

In Down syndrome mice, 40Hz light and sound improve cognition, neurogenesis, connectivity

Methyl eugenol: potential to inhibit oxidative stress, address related diseases, and its toxicological effects

A vascularized multilayer chip reveals shear stress-induced angiogenesis in diverse fluid conditions

AI helps unravel a cause of Alzheimer's disease and identify a therapeutic candidate

Coalition of Autism Scientists critiques US Department of Health and Human Services Autism Research Initiative

Structure dictates effectiveness, safety in nanomedicine

[Press-News.org] Safety issue revealed as 1 in 20 Australian workers admits to drinking at work