Office juniors 'prone to drink deaths'

Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that bar staff were the most likely workers in England and Wales to die from alcohol-related problems.

Male bar staff were 2.23 times as likely to die that way as members of the general population, while female bar staff were 2.03 times as likely.

Among women, publicans and bar managers were 1.93 times more likely to die from an alcohol-related problem, while female junior office workers were 1.92 times above the average.

The figures related to people aged 20 to 64 and are for the period 2001/05.

The news comes after figures published last November by the ONS showed that alcohol-related death rates in the UK have doubled since 1991. In 1991, the number of alcohol-related deaths stood at 4,144, while in 2005 that figure had risen to 8,386.

Drinking culture

The figures for female officer workers related to the "classic office junior", according to a spokeswoman for the ONS.

Such staff tended to be younger and carried out tasks such as photocopying, delivering the mail around the office and data entry.

Frank Soodeen, from Alcohol Concern, said: "Women who work can often afford to drink more and, particularly for those working in male-dominated occupations, an existing heavy drinking culture can be an additional risk factor.

"It's vital for employers to have a workplace alcohol policy in place so staff who show signs of misusing alcohol can access suitable support before their drinking becomes critical."

Other workers at higher than normal risk of alcohol related death included male middle-ranking civil servants, 1.89 times more at risk, male floorers and wall tilers (1.59 times more likely) and men working in security such as bouncers and bailiffs (1.67 times more susceptible).

Among women, hairdressers were 1.46 times above the average to die from an alcohol-related problem, while waitresses were 1.59 times and chefs and cooks 1.24 times more likely.

Support needed

The ONS also released figures on the occupations with the lowest risk of dying from an alcohol-related problem. Male farmers were less than half as likely to die that way as average members of the population, while members of the clergy were half as likely.

Other low-risk groups for men included driving instructors and taxi drivers.

For women, educational assistants, primary and nursery teachers and childminders were among the groups at lowest risk.

Ester Romeri, who presented the data on behalf of the ONS, said possible reasons for the higher figures were social pressure to drink at work, low levels of supervision, separation from family members and the recruitment of people who were already heavy drinkers.

Nicola Brian, from Action on Addiction, said: "It is important for businesses to have a process in place for dealing with these issues and to have relevant knowledge at their fingertips to ensure that staff are advised to get the most appropriate treatment and support. Giving the right support at this stage could save their lives."