Sobeih, T; Salem, O; Genaidy, A; Abdelhamid, T S and Shell, R (2009) Psychosocial factors and musculoskeletal disorders in the construction industry. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 135(4), pp. 267-277. ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) constitute more than half of the total injuries and illnesses within the construction industry. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of MSD among construction workers and identify the psychosocial and physical risk factors associated with their occurrence using an on-site survey instrument. One hundred forty seven construction workers (representing three trades) participated in the study. The 1-year prevalence of MSD was high with 61.2% reporting severe symptoms and 39.7% having some functional impairment due to MSD. Physical task requirement was the most important factor associated with MSD reflecting the physical nature of construction work. Economic and performance factors were the most stressful psychosocial factors reported and significantly increased the risk of reporting MSD. The findings of this research underscore the independent role that psychosocial factors play in the health and safety of construction workers. Understanding this role is imperative for practitioners and academics alike in the quest to make construction a safer work environment for all workers.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | accident prevention; injuries; occupational health; occupational safety |
| Index terms: | illness, risk factor, work environment, construction work, construction industry, occupational safety, construction worker, health and safety, injury, accident prevention, survey, occupational health, practitioner, impairment |
| Subjects: | industry analysis, environmental health, environmental hazards, occupational health and safety management, health conditions and diseases, health safety and environment, management, operations management, practitioner, data collection methods |
| Topics: | Research Practice, Project Management, Health and Safety, Sustainability, Roles and Professions, Organizational Design |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTE |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here