EDMONTON - A new report says people employed in Canada's oil and natural gas industry are seeking help for alcohol dependency in extremely high numbers and face working conditions that put extraordinary stress on families.
The study by the Shepell.fgi Research Group says in the past three years the number of energy industry employees seeking counselling for drinking problems was up 481 per cent.
"The high rate of addictions is of particular concern to oil and gas employers due to the safety-sensitive nature of the workplace," the report says.
Part of the problem is the energy industry includes large numbers of transitory workers who live far away from home, says the study.
It also says spouses of energy sector employees who move to another region to find work face isolation and job schedules that can lead to higher levels of substance abuse.
"The strain on their family as a consequence of substance abuse and the subsequent impact on the health and well-being of the employee, and therefore the organization, cannot be overstated."
The research group says to deal with the problem, companies should offer stress management education to workers and establish policies that help prevent alcohol abuse.
Last week, oilsands giant Suncor Energy (TSX:SU) announced it was banning alcohol at all its worker camps in Alberta.
Suncor spokeswoman Shawn Davis said alcohol has always been banned at its Firebag site. Starting on Sept. 1, the same rule will apply to its Borealis and Millennium lodges just north of Fort McMurray.
Davis said the ban will help maintain a healthy atmosphere in the camps and will help avoid security problems.
Petro-Canada, which has merged with Suncor, also bans alcohol at its worker camps.
Michael Kennedy, a Shepell.fgi spokesman, said the number of people seeking counselling for drug problems in the industry has remained relatively constant over the past few years but the number of people seeking help for alcohol dependency has increased at a much greater rate.
Researchers weren't sure if the trend is because alcohol is legal and more socially acceptable than illegal drugs or that testing for illegal drugs has become prevalent at many work sites.
He said the industry is getting the message about the need to better deal with alcohol dependency in its workforce, but banning alcohol at work camps is only part of the answer.
"You have to do more than just banning it. If it was as simple as just refusing the access then it would make the problem go away, but I think most firms recognize that it is one part of what needs to be a multi-pronged strategy," Kennedy said.
Officials with the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers were not available for comment.
Shepell.fgi said its study is based on information gleaned from 36 energy industry organizations between Jan. 2006 and Dec. 2008.
