Older workers in the construction industry: results of a routine health examination and a five year follow up.

Abstract

Objective-To describe the health status of older construction workers and the occurrence of early retirement due to disability or of mortality within a five year follow up.Methods-Firstly, a cross sectional study was performed among 4958 employees in the German construction industry, aged 40-64 years, who underwent standardized routine occupational health examinations in 1986-8. The study population included plumbers, carpenters, painters/varnishers, plasterers, unskilled workers, and white collar workers (control group). Job specific prevalence and age adjusted relative prevalence were calculated for hearing loss, abnormal findings at lung auscultation, reduced forced expiratory volume, increased diastolic blood pressure, abnormalities in the electrocardiogram, increased body mass index, hypercholesterolaemia, increased liver enzymes, abnormal findings in an examination of the musculoskeletal system, and abnormalities of the skin. Secondly, follow up for disability and all cause mortality was ascertained between 1992 and 1994 (mean follow up period = 4*5 y). Job specific crude rates were calculated for the occurrence of early retirement due to disability and for all cause mortality. With Cox's proportional hazards model, job specific relative risks, adjusted for age, nationality, and smoking were obtained. Results-Compared with the white collar workers, a higher prevalence of hearing deficiencies, signs of obstructive lung diseases, increased body mass index, and musculoskeletal abnormalities were found among the construction workers at the baseline exam. During the follow up period, 141 men died and 341 men left the labour market due to disability. Compared with white collar workers, the construction workers showed a 3-5 to 8.4-fold increased rate of disability (P < 0-05 for all occupational groups) and a 1-2 to 2-1-fold increased all cause mortality (NS). Conclusions-This study shows the need and possibilities for further health promotion in workers employed in the construction industry, targeting both work related conditions and personal lifestyle factors. Rehabilitation measures should be enforced to limit the rate of disability among construction workers. (Occup Environ Med 1996;53:686-691)

The global burden of occupational noise‐induced hearing loss

“…The published literature indicates, for example, that construction workers in the U.S. and in Germany have nearly equal hearing loss for similar length of exposure (see Waitzman and Smith, 1999;Arndt et al, 1996). As Evans and Ming (1982) found no differences between Western groups and Cantonese Chinese, it was assumed that the relative risk estimates apply to all regions.…”

Occupation and the risk of hearing impairment – results from the Nord-Trøndelag study on hearing loss

“…A German study of 4958 construction workers estimated an age-adjusted prevalence ratio for hearing loss of about 1.5 for blueversus white-collar workers (22). In that study, hearing loss was defined as the sum of hearing thresholds at 2000, 3000, and 4000 Hz >105 dB in the worse ear.…”

Gamma-Glutamyltransferase and Disability Pension: A Cohort Study of Construction Workers in Germany

“…In case of missing data with respect to actual employment or pension status, which occurred mainly due to remigration of some foreign workers as well as due to a high occupational fluctuation in the construction industry, we also included the information from previous follow-up rounds performed from 1992-1994 and 1998-2000. 17,18 The criteria for being work-disabled and receiving disability pension are under repeated revision. Up to the year 2000, a disability pension was granted in Germany when the ability to earn a living (i.e., working hours) has been permanently reduced by at least 50% due to injury, illness, or impairment-irrespective of whether the injury was caused by work or not-and whether the worker could not be referred to another adequate occupation.…”