Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Construction Workers

Abstract

Construction is a physically demanding process, and its activities entail exposure to a range of health and safety (H&S) and ergonomics hazards and risks. Given the persistence of H&S and ergonomics hazards and risks, a quantitative study was conducted to interrogate the related issues and evolve a response. The quantitative study included members of the Association of Construction Health and Safety Management (ACHASM) who completed a self-administered questionnaire delivered per e-mail. The findings indicate: workers are exposed to ergonomic hazards and risks, which leads to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs); workers do report incidents; not all stakeholders are likely to be committed to H&S, and seven construction management factors impact H&S and ergonomics. Conclusions include: design hazard identification and risk assessment (HIRA) and construction HIRA is ineffective; exposure to ergonomic hazards and risks results in MSDs; workers do not fear losing their jobs due to reporting incidents; construction H&S is not receiving the necessary and potential multi-stakeholder support, and contractors are not adequately resourcing H&S and ergonomics. Recommendations include: multi-stakeholder commitment to and support for H&S and ergonomics should be engendered commencing the client brief; designers should consider the impact of design, details, and specifications on construction H&S and ergonomics during the construction process and subsequent maintenance; contractors should adequately resource H&S and ergonomics at tender stage, and ensure that the requisite H&S systems, procedures, and protocols are implemented when construction commences, and workers should be empowered through HIRA training, and participation in H&S processes.

Keywords: Construction, Ergonomics, Health and Safety, Musculoskeletal Disorders

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1005187