MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Drinking problems among Chilean labour

A report from the Chilean Safety Association indicates that 26,3% of Chilean workers have a drinking problem, that is heavy drinking, dependency or in serious risk of falling into any of the two categories.

Another 3% has consumed marihuana or cocaine in the last twelve months and 21% confess having taken these substances sometime in their lives. This is seen as a serious problem because it is believed to be directly linked to juvenile delinquency.

"Conduct codes are many times imitated by children, a problem which is directly linked to poverty conditions", said Dr. Nancy Sepulveda from the Chilean Alcohol and Drugs Prevention Program.

The organization has created a program to help prevent and revert alcohol and drugs consumption which is being tested in different work shops and particularly directed to have an impact in families. "In the companies we have a "captive" population and we can establish norms and rules which are imitated by the incoming staff. But what is more important is that it reaches the different families", indicated Dr. Sepulveda adding that it turns out to be one of the main attractions of the program since a majority of workers with this kind of problems, "knows it might be not effective on them, but it can help with the children".

The report based on a poll shows that 32% of men workers are in the group of high risk drinkers, with the percentage dropping to 8,6 for women. However there are specific areas where this percentage is above 10 for the women working population: 10,3% in retail; 11,5% in industry. As to men the heaviest drinkers are miners, 33,1%; industrial workers 33,3% and camp and forestry labour 34,2%.

As to drugs consumption, in retailing, agriculture and forestry is where the highest percentages are recorded ranging between 4,7 and 2,6%. The 2003 poll on which the report was elaborated included 3,300 workers between 18 and 65 years of age, covering the whole of Chile with an universe of 600,000.