Herrera-Pérez, V.; Rubio-Romero, J. C.; Fuertes, A.; Salguero-Caparrós, F. and del Carmen Pardo-Ferreira, M. (2026) Investigating the impact of medication consumption on crane-related occupational health and safety risks in construction projects. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 152(8): 04026116, ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
The construction sector remains an industry with one of the highest rates of workplace accidents, thus understanding their causation factors has been an area of attention among many researchers worldwide. Previous studies have identified many contributing factors, but research on the impact of medication on construction occupational health and safety is very scarce. This study investigated, for the first time, the influence that specific types of medication have on the occupational risks associated with the operation of tower cranes in construction projects. A Delphi study was conducted with a panel of medical experts working at services for prevention and protection at work organizations in Spain. A questionnaire was designed to gather the expert panelists' judgment, and the median absolute deviation was used to calculate consensus among the panelists' individual quantitative answers. The Delphi study confirmed that medicines for sleep disorders, psychotic disorders, anxiety disorders, and antiepileptics could contribute significantly to the risks. People falling from heights was the tower crane operation risk most likely to increase in the event that the crane operator was under the effects of any medication. Focusing on an underresearched occupational health and safety field, this study contributes with additional knowledge on how medication consumption influences the occurrence of work-related injuries on construction sites. Findings will guide researchers and industry practitioners worldwide undertaking risk assessments and accident investigations related to crane operations. Useful recommendations are provided to identify, assess, and manage the impact of medication consumption on the health and safety at construction sites. Results will influence occupational health and safety policy makers on the dissemination and regulation of the negative effects that the consumption of medication could have on the occupational health and safety of those involved in crane-related activities.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction injuries prevention; crane operation; medication; occupational health and safety |
| Index terms: | crane operator, medicine, prevention, accident investigation, risk assessment, deviation, Spain, tower crane, judgment, Delphi method, consumption, construction sector, practitioner, regulation, anxiety, questionnaire, dissemination, construction project, occupational health and safety, construction site, health and safety, sleep disorder, injury |
| Subjects: | consumer economics, practitioner, medical science and clinical practice, maintenance engineering, production management, health safety and environment, Geography, financial risk, data collection methods, mental health and wellbeing, dispute resolution, work location, financial and cost management, knowledge translation, occupational health and safety management, health conditions and diseases, industry analysis, environmental health, political science |
| Topics: | Sustainability, Project Management, Geographical Context, Health and Safety, Legal Issues, Governance, Roles and Professions, Stakeholder Management, Research Practice, Business Strategy, Cost Management, Site Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
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