Evaluation of a participatory ergonomics intervention in small commercial construction firms

Abstract

Background Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD) among construction workers remain high. Participatory ergonomics (PE) interventions that engage workers and employers in reducing work injury risks have shown mixed results. Methods Eight-six workers from seven contractors participated in a PE program. A logic model guided the process evaluation and summative evaluation of short term and intermediate impacts and long term outcomes from surveys and field records. Results Process measures showed good delivery of training, high worker engagement, and low contractor participation. Workers’ knowledge improved and workers reported changes to work practices and tools used; contractor provision of appropriate equipment was low (33%). No changes were seen in symptoms or reported physical effort. Conclusions The PE program produced many worker-identified ergonomic solutions, but lacked needed support from contractors. Future interventions should engage higher levels of the construction organizational system to improve contractor involvement for reducing WMSD.

Effects of a Participatory Ergonomics Intervention With Wearable Technical Measurements of Physical Workload in the Construction Industry: Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint)

“…The majority of the suggestions were related to assistive devices (Table 5), and is in accordance with previous findings, where the workers identified ergonomic solutions using assistive devices to reduce WMSD, but the support from the contractors to implement these was lacking [44]. Accordingly, other studies suggest that support from the management is critical for providing changes in the construction industry [45,46].…”

“…Construction work in Denmark is characterized by being organized in small working units, often on a group-based wage, which can be associated with an increased risk factor for WMSD [49] and can induce a group pressure within the gang to get the work done at a certain time without taking pain into consideration [50]. Studies suggest that both structural and cultural changes are necessary to create changes in the construction industry [44,51]. The lack of effect from the intervention in the present study may be related to the culture in the construction industry where WMSD is an accepted part of being a construction worker [52,53].…”

Facilitators and barriers to the adoption of ergonomic solutions in construction

“…A previous participatory ergonomics (PE) study among construction workers from three trades set the foundation for our current study. In brief, we conducted a PE study among construction workers from three trades: floor laying, carpentry, and sheet metal [Jaegers et al, ; Dale et al, ] and seven contractors, following each project for approximately 6 months. We provided training to enable workers to identify ergonomic risks in work tasks such as high force, awkward postures, repetition, contact stress, and vibration, and to identify ergonomic solutions such as tools, equipment, scheduling, and work practices.…”

Evaluation of the effects of two alternative participatory ergonomics intervention strategies for construction companies

“…Although other studies suggest that the contribution of employees on the choice of ergonomics tools is also of great importance (e.g. Dale et al 2016;Eaves, Gyi, and Gibb 2016).…”