Builders hit the bottle to cope with work stress

Britain’s construction workers are turning to the booze to relieve the mounting pressure of work in the current economic climate.

A new survey for the Government's Know Your Limits campaign found that half the workers who drink say the do it to cope with work stress. 

Twenty six percent of those surveyed said they felt pressurised to drink with their work colleagues and nearly a third confessed they are regularly drinking at least once a week.

Construction workers claim they are drinking moderately and on average down 28 units of alcohol a week - just on the limit of the Government’s drinking guidelines. But questioned further two thirds admitted they don't keep track of how many units of alcohol they actually drink.

The average worker consumes almost one full bottle of white wine, a full bottle of red wine, two and a half pints of lager and a pint of bitter a week – an exotic cocktail that is more down to statistical quirk than the desire for mixing drinks.

The survey found just 16% of the industry's workforce is keen to cut down how much they drink.

The NHS recommended limits for men is to not regularly drink more than 3-4 units a day and for women to not regularly drink more than 2-3 units a day

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) is backing the Know Your Limits campaign. Ben Willmott, senior public policy adviser at the CIPD, said: "This survey illustrates how work colleagues can influence how much we drink, even when we want to cut back.

“After-work drinks are often part of the fabric of many of our working lives, and it's often tempting to just go along with the crowd, even when you know your body needs a rest.

He added: "If you realise you are regularly drinking above the recommended daily limits, think about what that might mean for both your health and your professional reputation.

Willmott called on contractors to draw up clear policies on managing alcohol misuse. These policies should spell out the health risks of excessive drinking and make it clear that support is available for people that have a dependency problem, he said.