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The Role of Ergonomics for Construction Industry Safety and Health

Improvements

Article  in  Journal of Ergonomics · January 2017

DOI: 10.4172/2165-7556.1000e166

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 Journal of Ergonomics Kim, J Ergonomics 2017, 7:2
DOI: 10.4172/2165-7556.1000e166

Editorial OMICS International

The Role of Ergonomics for Construction Industry Safety and Health

Improvements
In-Ju Kim*
Department of Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management, College of Engineering, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
*Corresponding author: In-Ju Kim, Department of Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management, College of Engineering, University of Sharjah, P.O. Box 27272,
Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, Tel: 0501340498; E-mail: dr.injukim@gmail.com
Received date: Feb 28, 2017; Accepted date: Mar 06, 2017; Published date: Mar 10, 2017
Copyright: © 2017 Kim IJ. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use,
distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Introduction countries. Every construction worker was likely to be temporarily unfit

to work at some time as a result of moderately serious injuries or
The construction industry is one of the most hazardous and health problems after working on a construction site [10].
accident-prone working environments and one of the highest risk
businesses as far as its activities are concerned. Building workers are However, nearly all injuries and illnesses occurring in the field of
exposed to excessive construction site dangers that can result in construction industry seem to be preventable because the safety and
injuries or even death. They face different kinds of safety and health health problems are closely related to the organisation of building
hazards whilst working in their work sites every day. projects and performance of manual tasks [11]. Most risks in the
construction industry may result from an insufficient communication
The recent literature report that construction workers experience of site information and inadequate measurement technologies [11].
two times more work-related injuries and illnesses than the average for This means that construction companies can prevent such hazards and
all other industry workers [1,2]. The World Health Organization injuries from occurring if they are familiar with them and know how
(WHO) has characterised “work-related” diseases as multifactorial to to identify all these potential dangers. At the same time, construction
indicate that a number of risk factors such as physical, work workers must be aware of their susceptibility to any harm or injury in
organisational, psychosocial, individual, and socio-cultural issues their workplace. Therefore, if sufficient and adequate information of
contribute to causing these diseases [3]. The sum of these challenges workplaces, manual tasks, and continued training and educations are
affects the working capacity and decreases the satisfaction of the provided, the safety and health performance in the construction
individual worker. industry could be significantly improved.
With increasing development of the construction process, building
workers seem to be constantly exposed to unfavourable ergonomic Construction Works and Ergonomic Concerns
challenges by its wide range of activities. The highest worker injury and
fatality rates from then construction industry make it as an extreme Construction works and safety and health
risk sector in regard to Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders
(WMSDs) in particular [4,5]. The Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) Construction works typically require the adopting of awkward
remain in the most prevalent form of occupational ill health, postures, lifting of heavy materials, manual handling of heavy and
prompting examination of the reason to manage the problem that has irregular-sized loads, frequent bending, bending and twisting of the
been less successful than perhaps hoped [6]. body, working above the shoulder height, working below the knee
level, staying in one position for a long period, climbing and
MSDs are the most common work-related health problems. For descending, and pushing and pulling of loads [12]. These are all done
instance, across the European Union (EU) countries, 25% of workers under difficult circumstances. In most developing countries, safety
complain of a backache and 23% report muscular pains. MSDs are the consideration of construction workers in their construction project
biggest cause of absence from work in the United States [7]. In the US, delivery is not given a priority and the employment of safety measures
the most common types of nonfatal occupational injuries that result in during construction works is considered a burden as it is not addressed
days away from work are musculoskeletal injuries such as sprains and [10].
strains. A similar problem had been observed in Brazilian workers. The
most frequently affected body part was the shoulder (49%), followed by Because of work types involved, WMSDs are one of the leading
the neck (47%) and back (39%), respectively [7]. In the Swedish causes of occupational injuries in the construction industry [5].
construction industry, more than one worker in five has reported Because the construction industry is by nature labour-intensive, it is
WMSDs and these disorders constitute about 69% of all reported difficult to avoid workers being exposed to manual tasks with forceful
work-related injuries in 2005 [8]. exertions and awkward postures [5]. Additionally, considering the
presence of heavy equipment, physically demanding tools, and
Based on the findings of ergonomics study amongst South African changing work environments, the job sites in the construction industry
construction management and workers, Smallwood concluded that the are more dangerous than any other business environments [13].
use of body force, reaching away from the body, reaching above the Specifically, WMSDs are responsible for about 34% of nonfatal injuries
head, repetitive movements, bending or twisting the back, climbing [14]; compared with other industries. Workers in the construction
and descending were common and constitute work related job industry are more likely (approximately 50% higher risk) to suffer from
problems [9]. The situation is worst in developing countries. Accident WMSDs [4]. As a result, increased health care and compensation costs
and injury rates in many of the developing countries such as Nigeria, for disabled workers are frequently invested in construction companies
Thailand, and Tanzania were considerably higher than in European

J Ergonomics, an open access journal Volume 7 • Issue 2 • 1000e166

ISSN:2165-7556
Citation: Kim IJ (2017) The Role of Ergonomics for Construction Industry Safety and Health Improvements. J Ergonomics 7: e166. doi:
10.4172/2165-7556.1000e166

Page 2 of 4

[15]. For example, the annual cost of WMSDs to the Canadian Ergonomic campaigns for the construction WMSDs
economy is approximate $20 billion [16].
The recent literature reports that a successful strategy for a social
Currently, construction industries have focused more on improving marketing campaign for ergonomics in the construction industry must
productivity over ensuring safety and health issues of the construction address business diversities with different materials and specific crafts
workers such as conducting ergonomic analysis [17]. As a result, [27,29]. Rather than focusing on a single message, the campaign would
project managers should be aware that the economic outcome of need to develop explicit components for construction managers, union
increased productivity may be counterweighed by the increased staff, and workers, and focus on definite themes such as an
medical and compensation costs caused from WMSDs. But, ergonomic introduction of new tools. The following campaign is recommended
analysis for the WMSDs is not sufficiently addressed by construction for the prevention of WMSDs by a recent study [30]:
companies [5]. The planning stage is of great importance because it is
the phase when engineers design how construction projects work in • Document cause/effect relationships: Information that lays out the
detail. Therefore, preventive measures by considering any safety relationship between specific types of solutions and positive end
problem and/or risk should be offered from a planning stage or phase. results is necessary so those contractor representatives and unions
This precautionary approach may potentially reduce majority accidents can justify investing resources in the programs for WMSD
in the construction industries [18,19]. prevention.
• Standardise terminology, without using the term “ergonomics:
Developing a standard and consistent terminology that
Ergonomics Contribution in the Construction Industry contractors, unions and workers can all be related would be very
helpful for training and outreach practices.
Overall commitments • Develop separate campaigns for contractors and workers. For
Ergonomic resolutions have contributed to preventing injuries and contractors, messages would be increasing productivity and saving
fatalities and facilitate safety and health practices for the construction money. Whilst, for workers and unions, messages would be more
workers [20-22], but there seem to be great potentials for more personal, addressing how staying healthy and working “smarter”
widespread applications. For example, more than 90% of the US would benefit not only to them but to their families.
construction companies ranging in size from 6 to 3,000 workers have a • Develop contractor success stories: A positive way to promote
written safety program, but only a third have an ergonomic program different types of control strategies for ergonomics is to use peer-
[23]. Management and employees at all levels of the industry state that to-peer messages. Researching which strategies have been most
construction work is just hard and there is simply no way to avoid wear effective in reducing WMSDs and developing testimonials that
and tear issues on workers' bodies [23]. Existing research mainly feature stories from contractors themselves would be a credible
provides invaluable information on kinds of tools used, the repetitive way to encourage other contractors to take actions.
actions, the body positions, how jobs are planned and implemented, • Directly address the resistance to change: This is a tradition-bound
and the introduction of tools, processes, and technologies that can industry, so change needs to be framed in a way that builds a
mitigate strain and sprain-type hazards. There is little research on the transition from the “old ways” rather than overturning them.
actions or specific messages that can move the construction industry to • Include explicit framing: Any campaign needs to frame prevention
change ergonomic practices, equipment, and policies. of WMSDs in a way that speaks to workers' strengths, skills, and
Prevention of injury and illness amongst the construction workers productivities, and that overcomes the view it is a weakness to take
requires dissemination, adoption, and implementation of effective actions to prevent injury.
interventions, or research to practice [24,25]. Regulations may require Construction contractors, workers, and unions need to work
employers to make changes, but knowledge, attitudes, and work together to find actions that work within the boundaries of their
practices can evolve significantly even without regulations. A recent working environments. To change their attitudes, ergonomists should
study identified seven levels of changing behaviours with respect to provide them specific examples of how construction workers can be
intervention measures in the construction industry: being aware of the impacted by cumulative injuries. Ergonomists also need to create a
intervention, understanding it, wanting it, intending to buy/lease it, the picture of what construction workers will be like in the future if they
ability to use it, using it, and continuing to use it [26]. According to the don’t take care of themselves in the current working conditions [30].
conclusion from the study, an obstacle arising on every level can cause
an actor that is not to proceed in the changing process. For unions, ergonomic operations can provide information to make
representatives more aware of the benefits from ergonomic solutions
However, the barriers to implementing more feasible solutions will offer for both business health and to protect their members and keep
require participation and cooperation of all levels of construction them productive. Ergonomic interventions can make sure
industries, contractors, unions, and workers [27]. If the principles of apprenticeship programs have information on training materials.
ergonomics are integrated into all phases of the construction works Contractors need research and hard data to show that ergonomic
such as bidding, engineering, pre-planning, purchasing, materials programs truly reduce injuries without having a negative impact on
handling, job site management, and training of supervisors and production. They need to understand how it pays them in the long run
workers, the construction industry can take the burden off workers, to protect their skilled workforce [30].
mitigate hazards, and reduce WMSDs [28]. Therefore, future
ergonomics research for the construction safety and health should Creating a safety culture for making an ergonomic change requires
explore this contradicting issue in-depth. the skills and ingenuity of the workers who are on the construction
front lines dealing with day-to-day and real-world issues. Ultimately,
they are the problem solvers, the planners, the people responsible for
making worksites safer, and the people who are getting injured [30].

J Ergonomics, an open access journal Volume 7 • Issue 2 • 1000e166

ISSN:2165-7556
Citation: Kim IJ (2017) The Role of Ergonomics for Construction Industry Safety and Health Improvements. J Ergonomics 7: e166. doi:
10.4172/2165-7556.1000e166

Page 3 of 4

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J Ergonomics, an open access journal Volume 7 • Issue 2 • 1000e166

ISSN:2165-7556
Citation: Kim IJ (2017) The Role of Ergonomics for Construction Industry Safety and Health Improvements. J Ergonomics 7: e166. doi:
10.4172/2165-7556.1000e166

Page 4 of 4

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ISSN:2165-7556

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