Health promotion in South African construction

The maintenance of health in industrial communities presents special problems and priorities, which are exacerbated in developing countries by socio-economic realities. Lifestyle, communicable diseases, alcohol and drug abuse are issues, which extend far beyond the boundaries of society, impacting on individuals' performance in the workplace. The aim of health promotion is to persuade people to adopt and maintain healthy life practices, thus preventing ill-health and promoting health and overall performance. Given the aforementioned, a descriptive survey was conducted among general contractors (GCs) to determine: the extent of health promotion; the extent to which employees would benefit there from, and the perceived holistic benefits. The findings indicate that little or no health promotion is undertaken in South African construction. However, GCs perceive that health promotion would benefit employees, the benefits including improved health and project performance manifested in, inter alia, lower absenteeism, and improved productivity and quality.