Fitness for duty in the nuclear power industry: the effects of local characteristics

The effects of local characteristics on the outcomes of drug and alcohol testing at nuclear power plants are examined. Data on testing results from two years of program performance reports from the nuclear industry's fitness-for-duty programs and data on local characteristics from the US census are used in the analysis. Geographical region, outage status, population density, and crime rate are found to influence the proportion of test results that are positive at nuclear power plants. Population density and crime rate are found to increase the relative proportion of all positive test results that are the result of cocaine. Implications for evaluating the results of drug testing in the nuclear industry and in other industries are discussed.<>