scholarly journals Practical Judgment of Workload Based on Physical Activity, Work Conditions, and Worker’s Age in Construction Site

Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (13) ◽  
pp. 3786 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nobuki Hashiguchi ◽  
Kota Kodama ◽  
Yeongjoo Lim ◽  
Chang Che ◽  
Shinichi Kuroishi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Health Risk ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Work Conditions ◽  
Construction Workers ◽  
Physical Workload ◽  
Practical Judgment ◽  
Construction Companies ◽  
Risk Judgment

It is important for construction companies to sustain a productive workforce without sacrificing its health and safety. This study aims to develop a practical judgement method to estimate the workload risk of individual construction workers. Based on studies, we developed a workload model comprising a hygrothermal environment, behavioral information, and the physical characteristics of workers). The construction workers’ heart rate and physical activity were measured using the data collected from a wearable device equipped with a biosensor and an acceleration sensor. This study is the first report to use worker physical activity, age, and the wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) to determine a worker’s physical workload. The accuracy of this health risk judgment result was 89.2%, indicating that it is possible to easily judge the health risk of workers even in an environment where it is difficult to measure the subject in advance. The proposed model and its findings can aid in monitoring the health impacts of working conditions during construction activities, and thereby contribute toward determining workers’ health damage. However, the sampled construction workers are 12 workers, further studies in other working conditions are required to accumulate more evidence and assure the accuracy of the models.

The effects of using an ergonomic aid on the physical workload and body discomfort reported by pre-adolescent farmers in West Bengal, India

Work ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Banibrata Das ◽  
Somnath Gangopadhyay ◽  
Tirthankar Ghosh
Keyword(s):  
Musculoskeletal Disorders ◽  
West Bengal ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Handgrip Strength ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Body Part ◽  
Work Conditions ◽  
Physical Workload ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Work Related

BACKGROUND: Musculoskeletal disorders are one of the major health hazards among farmers. Pre-adolescents are mainly associated with agricultural work due to poor socioeconomic conditions. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to implement a new ergonomics aid for the betterment of job procedures and improvement of productivity, health, and safety of the preadolescent farmers. METHODS: 100 male and 100 female preadolescent farmers were randomly selected from the villages of Tarakeswar, West Bengal, India, to evaluate and reduce work-related musculoskeletal disorders, physiological stress. Modified Nordic questionnaires, Body Part Discomfort (BPD) scale, and handgrip strength were assessed before and after using the ergonomics aid. RESULTS: The results of the study show that there was a significant change (decrease) in discomfort in the lower back, wrists, shoulder, and hands among preadolescent farmers when using the newly designed ergonomic aid. Handgrip strength increased and physiological stress was decreased among preadolescent farmers in post-intervention than pre-intervention in just after work conditions. Productivity has been increased in farming by decreasing absenteeism from work with the use of ergonomic aid. CONCLUSION: This study concludes that productivity has been increased in farming by decreasing absenteeism from work as well as by using the ergonomic aid the discomfort feeling has been decreased markedly.

scholarly journals Use of Personal Protective Equipment among Building Construction Workers in Kampala, Uganda

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Izudi ◽  
Viola Ninsiima ◽  
John Bosco Alege
Keyword(s):  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Building Construction ◽  
Construction Workers ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Significance Level ◽  
Construction Companies ◽  
Workplace Accidents

Background. 270 million workplace accidents occur annually. In Uganda, Kampala district has the highest workplace injury and fatality rates. However, information on personal protective equipment (PPE)—hand gloves, hardhats, overalls, safety boots, earplugs, safety harness with lanyard, and face shields—utilization among building construction workers remains scarce. We assessed PPE utilization and determinants among building construction workers in Kampala, Uganda. Methods. This cross-sectional study involved 385 respondents. Data collected by structured questionnaire was double-entered in EpiData and analyzed in STATA at 5% significance level. Independent determinants of PPE use were established by a stepwise backward logistic regression analysis. Results. 305 (79.2%) respondents were males, 290 (75.3%) were 18–30 years, 285 (74.0%) completed secondary education, and 197 (51.2%) were temporary employees. 60 (15.6%) respondents used PPE. Female sex (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 6.64; 95% CI: 1.55–28.46; P=0.011), temporary (AOR = 0.05; 95% CI: 0.01–0.27; P<0.001) and casual (AOR = 0.01; 95% CI: 0.001–0.071; P<0.001) employment, and previous knowledge of safety measures (AOR = 100.72; 95% CI: 26.00–390.16; P<0.001) were associated with PPE use. Conclusion. PPE use was low in Kampala, Uganda. Building construction companies should implement measures of the Uganda Occupational Health and Safety Act.

scholarly journals Supervisor's capability and aptitude to supervise Health and Safety (H&S) induction training to site workforces: A case study of the construction industry of Pakistan

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 962-971
Author(s):  
Khalid Daniyal ◽  
Bilal Aslam ◽  
Umer Khalil
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Work Conditions ◽  
The Other ◽  
Upper Management ◽  
Construction Firms ◽  
Construction Companies ◽  
Site Supervisors ◽  
Audio Communication

Health and Safety (H&S) is a professional approach to substitute harmless and vigorous work conditions for any industry. The construction industry is of utmost importance because it is associated with elevated accident rates compared to the other sectors. To some extent, cultural progression is also reliant on communication among all the groups inside a corporation. Effective communication happens in a construction corporation, among upper management and the employees arbitrated by the supervisors. Therefore, if the construction supervisor's capabilities are ignored, the plans to progress the satisfactory H&S culture may be unsuccessful. The aptitude for conducting H&S induction training to employees is one of the construction supervisor's abilities, and in developing countries, the supervisor's capabilities are ignored. Moreover, the organization's eagerness on H&S, which corresponds to the induction training, is relatively less. The current research reports an examination to analyze how the supervisors possess H&S capabilities and skills to oversee site H&S induction training to workforces successfully. For the analysis, Pakistan's construction industry was targeted, and numerous construction firms were contacted in this regard. The data for the intended objective was accumulated through talks and surveys with site supervisors in construction companies of various extents from all over Pakistan. The outcomes exposed insufficient training, an absence of management dedication, and an inadequate familiarity or usage of visual/audio communication assistance by construction companies in Pakistan. Thus, it is suggested that there is a need for the supervisors to understand the use of multilingual skills and current technologies to assist valuable site H&S induction training that can progress a path towards an optimistic H&S culture.

scholarly journals Work conditions and health risks of persons employed in construction in Latvia

2010 ◽  
Vol 64 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 53-60
Author(s):  
Tatjana Farbtuha ◽  
Žanna Martinsone ◽  
Ivars Vanadziņš ◽  
Jānis Dundurs ◽  
Inese Mārtiņsone ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Work Conditions ◽  
Employee Health ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Work Condition ◽  
Construction Companies ◽  
Work Related ◽  
State Revenue

Work conditions and health risks of persons employed in construction in Latvia The health effects of the work condition in construction were the focus for this study. The construction sector involves numerous risk factors, which can essentially endanger employee health and safety by causing accidents, occupational diseases and work-related diseases. The aim of this study was to examine the work condition, identity risk factors in the workplace, analyse the morbidity and accidents in the construction sector. According to the data of the State Revenue Service, the number of persons employed in construction in Latvia is growing each year. In the construction sector the number of accidents per 100 000 employees has tended to fall between 2003 and 2005, but the number of serious accidents has risen 1.3 times. Employees in construction companies are not sufficiently informed about the work environment risk factors and their influence on health and safety.

scholarly journals Influence of Non-Occupational Physical Activity on Burnout Syndrome, Job Satisfaction, Stress and Recovery in Fitness Professionals

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (18) ◽  
pp. 9489
Author(s):  
María Jesús Marín-Farrona ◽  
Manuel León-Jiménez ◽  
Jorge García-Unanue ◽  
Leonor Gallardo ◽  
Gary Liguori ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Work Conditions ◽  
Burnout Syndrome ◽  
Study Cohort ◽  
Occupational Physical Activity ◽  
Stress Levels

Background: This study aimed (1) to analyse the effect of non-occupational physical activity (NOPA) on the stress levels of fitness professionals, and (2) to apply a questionnaire to workers measuring burnout syndrome, working conditions and job satisfaction, and to compare the results with physiological stress and recovery measured objectively through heart rate variability (HRV). Methods: The HRV of 26 fitness instructors was recorded during 2–5 workdays using Firstbeat Bodyguard 2. Participants also completed a questionnaire (CESQT) measuring working conditions and job satisfaction variables and occupational burnout syndrome. Results: NOPA showed a negative association with both the percentage of stress (p < 0.05) and stress–recovery ratio (p < 0.01), and a positive association with the percentage of recovery (p < 0.05). Better work conditions (working hours, salary satisfaction and length of service) were associated with lower stress in fitness professionals. Conclusion: NOPA appears to improve the stress levels of fitness instructors in this study cohort. Self-reported burnout levels measured through the CESQT questionnaire do not coincide with the physiological stress responses measured through HRV. Better working conditions appear to reduce the stress response in fitness professionals.

scholarly journals Working Conditions and Employee Motivation in Micro Enterprises in Mukono

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. p27
Author(s):  
Martha Kibukamusoke ◽  
Cyrus Kibukamusoke
Keyword(s):  
Working Conditions ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Employee Motivation ◽  
Work Conditions ◽  
Work Place ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
Training Motivation ◽  
Survey Interviews ◽  
Mukono District

Employees in organizations are always contented when they feel their immediate environment is in tandem with their obligations. The rapid growth of the enterprises in Uganda is entirely dependent on the relevant working conditions and motivation of employees. The article aimed to explore the relationship between working conditions and employee motivation of microenterprises in Mukono district in Uganda. The health and safety of employees as a motivator at the work place guided this study. Both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection; the survey, interviews and desk review were used. Findings showed that good work conditions and good employee motivation can increase employee job satisfaction and employee organizational commitment. Workers may be satisfied by their jobs, but they are not motivated to stay doing the same role because they may not have the same benefits as others. Individuals with higher pre-training motivation based on their willingness to attend training have greater learning outcomes as compared to individuals having lower pre-training motivation. For organizations to accomplish their goals, there is need for health and safety awareness for every individual employee at each induction.

scholarly journals Studies on Labour Safety in Construction Sites

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Kanchana ◽  
P. Sivaprakash ◽  
Sebastian Joseph
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Work Conditions ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Literature Study ◽  
Construction Sites ◽  
Safety Issues ◽  
Construction Companies ◽  
Safe Work

Construction industry has accomplished extensive growth worldwide particularly in past few decades. For a construction project to be successful, safety of the structures as well as that of the personnel is of utmost importance. The safety issues are to be considered right from the design stage till the completion and handing over of the structure. Construction industry employs skilled and unskilled labourers subject to construction site accidents and health risks. A proper coordination between contractors, clients, and workforce is needed for safe work conditions which are very much lacking in Indian construction companies. Though labour safety laws are available, the numerous accidents taking place at construction sites are continuing. Management commitment towards health and safety of the workers is also lagging. A detailed literature study was carried out to understand the causes of accidents, preventive measures, and development of safe work environment. This paper presents the results of a questionnaire survey, which was distributed among various categories of construction workers in Kerala region. The paper examines and discusses in detail the total working hours, work shifts, nativity of the workers, number of accidents, and type of injuries taking place in small and large construction sites.

Associations Between Workplace Violence, Mental Health, and Physical Health among Korean Workers: The Fifth Korean Working Conditions Survey

2021 ◽  
pp. 216507992110238
Author(s):  
Hae Ran Kim
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Shift Work ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Workplace Violence ◽  
Physical Violence ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Verbal Abuse ◽  
Safety Education ◽  
Mental And Physical Health

Background: Workplace violence (WPV) is a global public health problem and a threat to the health of Korean workers. This study assessed the prevalence and risk factors of WPV and its association with mental and physical health among Korean workers. Methods: Data obtained for 50,205 respondents to the Fifth Korean Working Conditions Survey were utilized for this study. Verbal abuse, threats, physical violence, and sexual harassment were assessed individually and as a composite for “any WPV.” Workers were characterized by education, income, shift work status, access to a health and safety education program, work sector and overall health. Descriptive analyses and multiple logistic regression analyses were used to estimate the prevalence of WPV and its association with mental and physical health. Findings: Overall, 5.6% of workers reported experiencing one of four forms of WPV. The prevalence of verbal abuse, threats, physical violence, and sexual harassment were 4.9%, 0.7%, 0.2%, and 1.1%, respectively. Most perpetrators were customers. Prevalence of WPV was associated with lower education level, poor health status, long working hours, shift work, and no experience of health and safety education; 9.0% of service workers experienced violence. Workers who had experienced WPV were more likely to experience anxiety, sleep-related problems, depressive symptoms, back pain, headache/eye strain, and overall fatigue. Conclusions/Applications to Practice: Workplace violence is a serious occupational and public health concern in Korea. These results suggest managing WPV may improve workers’ well-being and that violence-prevention strategies, policies, and regulations should be implemented across most industries.

scholarly journals Influencing Mechanism of Job Satisfaction on Safety Behavior of New Generation of Construction Workers Based on Chinese Context: The Mediating Roles of Work Engagement and Safety Knowledge Sharing

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (22) ◽  
pp. 8361
Author(s):  
Guodong Ni ◽  
Yuanyuan Zhu ◽  
Ziyao Zhang ◽  
Yaning Qiao ◽  
Huaikun Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Work Engagement ◽  
Construction Workers ◽  
Safety Behavior ◽  
Construction Companies ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Influencing Mechanism ◽  
Safety Knowledge ◽  
New Generation

China’s construction industry developed rapidly and safety production has become a vital issue. Improving the safety behavior of construction workers is an important measure to effectively decrease construction safety accidents. At present, a New Generation of Construction Workers (NGCWs) born after 1980 has gradually become the main force of construction companies in China and the special group characteristics coming from the intergenerational difference may make them behave differently in safety-related activities, therefore, it is very important to study how to promote their safety behavior. This paper aimed to explore the influencing mechanism of job satisfaction on the safety behavior of NGCWs and examine the mediating role of safety knowledge sharing and work engagement. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling analysis were applied to test the theoretical model. Empirical research results indicated that job satisfaction can effectively promote safety behavior through safety knowledge sharing and work engagement. Safety knowledge sharing plays a complete mediating role between job satisfaction and safety compliance behavior, as well as between job satisfaction and safety participation behavior. Moreover, work engagement plays a complete mediating role between job satisfaction and safety participation behavior, which can provide valuable management references for China’s construction companies to strengthen their safety behavior.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document