Alcohol, other drugs, and fatal work-related injuries

The purpose of this study was to determine the proportion of fatal work-related injuries that involved alcohol and other drugs in Harris County, Texas (which includes most of the city of Houston) during 1984 and 1985. A total of 207 death certificates and 196 autopsy reports that classified deaths as occurring at work were identified, and the demographic and toxicologic information was reviewed. Tests for alcohol were conducted for 173 (88.3%) of the workers autopsied; 23 (13.3%) had a detectable blood alcohol content. Drug screens, in addition to tests for alcohol, were performed on 172 (87.8%) of the workers autopsied; 12 (7.0%) had detectable traces of drugs which had the potential to alter physiologic functions needed to avoid injury. Only one case of illicit drug use was detected. When substances were detected, alcohol and prescription drugs, not illicit drugs, were the ones most frequently found.