I-Team: Undercover Video Shows Construction Workers Drinking On Lunch Break

BOSTON (CBS) - Everywhere you look around the downtown Boston area, a building boom is rapidly changing the skyline.

There is seemingly a construction site on every corner. Workers arrive early, fire up heavy machinery, and climb high into the sky as the latest project takes shape.

Without a doubt, construction work is a dangerous job. But an I-Team undercover investigation repeatedly observed surprising behavior over the lunch break.

Time after time, I-Team producers watched construction workers belly up to the bar, drink several beers, skip ordering food, and return to their job sites.

The projects are in highly visible areas. During the investigation, the I-Team saw workers involved with two different sites near Kendall Square in Cambridge; a project along Boylston next to the Prudential Center; work adjacent to the TD Garden; and the ongoing upgrades at the Boston Public Library.

The lunch hour drinking was never tough to find. Workers often gathered in groups at the establishments, typically donning the bright-colored t-shirts associated with the job.

"I think the reason for that is nobody is enforcing it," said Boston attorney Arthur Licata, who has specialized in construction accident cases for 37 years. "I think there is a cultural acceptance, not only of the workers. But also the people who supervise them who could really make them stop."

The I-Team contacted the large general contractors in charge of the managing the high-profile projects.

Turner Construction Company, Consigli Construction, and Gilbane Building Company all declined interviews about the issue, but expressed concern about the investigation's findings.

All three companies said they have a strict zero-tolerance policy against alcohol and drug use on project sites. This directive is communicated during mandatory safety orientation sessions and workers usually have to pass drug tests as a condition of employment, according to written company statements provided to the I-Team.

Anyone discovered under the influence of alcohol and drugs is immediately removed from the site and disciplined, the companies said. After learning of the I-Team's observations, the companies reiterated their alcohol policies to workers at project sites.

Drug testing and other policies to prevent workers from laboring under the influence have helped curb some of the problem, said Chris Ziegler, the director of safety for the Association of General Contractors.

Ziegler said no industry is immune from alcohol use on the job. However, he acknowledged when workers are operating heavy machinery, the stakes are higher.

"We always strive to do better, to train and to educate. Zero tolerance is our goal every day," Ziegler said. "Moving forward, I think we are going to be doing a better job of making sure we have sober workers out there."

Dr. Harvey Cohen, an expert on alcohol impairment, said drinking three to five beers in an hour will put the average male over the legal limit to operate a vehicle.

If they drink on a daily basis, Cohen explained that workers can get used to doing routine tasks under the influence.

"But if there's an emergency situation, anything that has to be reacted to quickly or is different or complex, all that tolerance goes by the boards," Cohen said.

What part, if any, alcohol use plays in construction accidents is difficult to quantify.

The Bureau of Labor and other government agencies do not have stats on how often alcohol is cited as a contributing factor in accidents involving injuries or fatalities.

And a spokesman with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) said the federal agency does not have any specific statute that addresses alcohol use on construction sites.

Regardless, people like the attorney Licata conclude the risk is clear.

"They don't realize how dangerous it is to themselves, their coworkers, or the public walking below them on the sidewalk," he said.

Ryan Kath can be reached at rkath@cbs.com. You can also follow him on Twitter or connect on Facebook.