Drinking in the workplace

The only New Zealand survey which specifically asks about workplace drinking is the 2008/09 NZ Alcohol and Drug Use Survey. In this national survey, 25.4% of past-year drinkers aged 16–64 had consumed alcohol in workplaces or meetings.

The 2012/13 NZ Health Survey asks about location of drinking, but combines the workplace with university, polytechnic and school settings.

Working under the influence of alcohol

The 2012/13 NZ Health Survey asked NZ drinkers if they had worked while under the influence of alcohol in the last 12 months. They found that:

• 6.8% responded 'yes' - This equates to about 165,000 drinkers (8.8% males, 4.6% females)

Thirteen percent of Pacific and 12% of Māori drinkers who had worked in the past year reported working at least once when under the influence of alcohol compared with 6.5% of European/Other and 4.7 % of Asian drinkers in the past year.

Operating machinery under the influence of alcohol

The 2012/13 NZ Health Survey also found that 3.3% of drinkers who had operated machinery did so at least once while under the influence of alcohol in the past year. This equates to around 65,000 drinkers.