scholarly journals Safety and Health Implications of COVID-19 on the United States Construction Industry

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-67
Author(s):  
Sang D Choi ◽  
John Staley
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Chronic Disease Risk ◽  
Guidance Strategies ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Related Quality

The construction industry is an essential U.S. business sector, yet it suffers from an elevated risk for work-related fatalities and injuries. The COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated this risk, as well as shone a light on the severe economic/financial/labor burdens and safety/health concerns the sector has faced. As such, the purpose of this review paper is to synthesize the safety and health issues associated with COVID-19 pandemic in the construction industry, and summarize the challenges and opportunities for construction stakeholders in implementing COVID-19 safety and health measures in the construction industry. This paper has explored the challenges in construction and COVID-19; COVID-19 knowledge, preventative behaviors, and risk perception among construction workers; recommendations/practical implications/preventive measures; and COVID-19 education in compliance/guidance, strategies to combat impacts of COVID-19 pandemic, smart digital technologies, and worker wellbeing and work-related quality of life (e.g., mental health). It is warranted that the construction industry needs to take better steps in preparing for future, man-made or natural disaster events, and subsequent acute and chronic disease risk, in order to yield a healthier/safer construction workplace.

scholarly journals Preventing chronic disease risk factors: Rationale and feasibility

Medicina ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 44 (10) ◽  
pp. 745 ◽  
Author(s):  
Courtney Jordan ◽  
Megan Slater ◽  
Thomas Kottke
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Risk Factor ◽  
Chronic Disease ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Disease Incidence ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
The United States ◽  
Hazardous Drinking ◽  
Chronic Disease Risk ◽  
Risk Factor Prevention

Objective. The majority of the mortality, morbidity, and disability in the United States and other developed countries is due to chronic diseases. These diseases could be prevented to a great extent with the elimination of four root causes: physical inactivity, poor nutrition, smoking, and hazardous drinking. The objective of this analysis was to determine whether efficacious risk factor prevention interventions exist and to examine the evidence that populationwide program implementation is justified. Materials and methods. We conducted a literature search for meta-analyses and systematic reviews of trials that tested interventions to increase physical activity, improve nutrition, reduce smoking and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, and reduce hazardous drinking. Results. We found that appropriately designed interventions can produce behavioral change for the four behaviors. Effective interventions included tailored fact-to-face counseling, phone counseling, and computerized tailored feedback. Computer-based health behavior assessment with feedback and education was documented to be an effective method of determining behavior, assessing participant interest in behavior change and delivering interventions. Some programs have documented reduced health care costs associated with intervention. Conclusions. Positive results to date suggest that further investments to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of chronic disease risk factor prevention programs are warranted. Widespread implementation of these programs could have a significant impact on chronic disease incidence rates and costs of health care.

scholarly journals Proceedings from the CIHLMU occupational safety and health symposium 2019 “Protecting workers’ health: global challenges and opportunities in work-related respiratory diseases”

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (S14) ◽  
Author(s):  
Netsanet Workneh Gidi ◽  
Anna Suraya ◽  
Beatrice Mutayoba ◽  
Bernarda Espinoza ◽  
Bindiya Meggi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Health ◽  
Occupational Diseases ◽  
Respiratory Diseases ◽  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Occupational Safety And Health ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Global Challenges ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities

AbstractThe international CIHLMU Occupational Safety and Health Symposium 2019 was held on 16th March, 2019 at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Germany. About 60 participants from around the world representing occupational health and safety professionals, students, instructors from several institutions in Germany and abroad, attended the symposium.The main objective of the symposium was to create awareness on global challenges and opportunities in work-related respiratory diseases. One keynote lecture and six presentations were made. While the keynote lecture addressed issues on occupational diseases in the twenty-first century, the six presentations were centered on: Prevention and control of work-related respiratory diseases, considerations; Occupational health and safety in Mining: Respiratory diseases; The prevention of TB among health workers is our collective responsibility; Compensation and prevention of occupational diseases and discussion on how artificial intelligence can support them: Overview of international approaches; Work-related Asthma: Evidence from high-income countries; and The role of imaging in the diagnosis of work- related respiratory diseases. A panel discussion was conducted following the presentations on the importance and challenges of data acquisition which is needed to have a realistic picture of the occupational safety and health status of workers at different levels. The current summary is an attempt to share the proceedings of the symposium.

Physician suicide

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s886-s886
Author(s):  
M.A. Dos Santos
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Major Health Problem ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Primary Care Patients ◽  
Competing Interest ◽  
Related Stress

IntroductionPhysician Suicide is a potential health risks resulting from strains and burden associated with medical education and profession. Suicide is an occupational hazard. Each year in the United States, 300 to 400 physicians take their own lives.ObjectiveTo provide a summary about physician suicide and its risk factors and mental health issues associated.MethodsThe search was conducted using PubMed with terms: “suicide in physicians”, “physician suicide”, “suicide in doctors”, “physician depression”, by using a review of literature with documents in English.DiscussionSuicide is a major health problem. Suicide death is a self-inflicted with evidence that the person aims die. Mental disorders represent a large burden of disease worldwide and can also damage to physical health. The most common psychiatric diagnoses among physicians who complete suicide are affective disorders, alcoholism, and substance use disorders. In physicians, the female suicide rates are higher than that in males. The most common means of suicide by physicians are lethal medication overdoses and firearms. There are common risk factors, such as work-related stress, depression, negative life events, alcohol and isolation. In addition, there is a physicians’ tendency not to recognize depression in themselves and not to seek help.ConclusionsPrioritize to physician mental health, change professional attitudes and institutional policies, learn to recognize depression and suicidality, educate medical students, residents, routinely screen all primary care patients for depression that can help physicians recognize depression in themselves and to seek treatment for depression and suicidality because there is “no health without mental health”.Disclosure of interestThe author has not supplied his/her declaration of competing interest.

scholarly journals Article Commentary: Improvements in the Measurement of Physical Activity in Childhood Obesity Research; Lessons from Large Studies of Accelerometers

2008 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. CMPed.S1127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Calum Mattocks ◽  
Kate Tilling ◽  
Andy Ness ◽  
Chris Riddoch
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Childhood Obesity ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Cardiovascular Disease Risk ◽  
The United States ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Chronic Disease Risk

Advances in technology have improved our ability to measure physical activity in free-living humans. In the last few years, several large epidemiological studies in Europe and the United States have used accelerometers to assess physical activity in children and adolescents. The use of accelerometers to study physical activity has presented some challenges on how to summarise and interpret the data that they generate, however these studies are providing important information on the levels and patterns of physical activity among children and adolescents. Some studies have reported that few children and adolescents appear to meet the recommended minimum of 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity per day. Accelerometers have also allowed examination of the relationships between physical activity and health outcomes like obesity and other chronic disease risk factors such as insulin resistance, aerobic fitness, blood lipids and blood pressure. Use of accelerometers allows such relationships to be estimated with a precision that was previously impossible with self-report measures of physical activity. Such information is already advancing our understanding of the role that physical activity plays in preventing childhood obesity and cardiovascular disease risk.

Recent Developments in Health Law

1994 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-92
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Medical Personnel ◽  
The United States ◽  
Occupational Safety And Health ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Bloodborne Pathogens ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Safety And Health

In American Dental Association v. Martin, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit reviewed a challenge to a rule of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). In December, 1991, OSHA passed a standard to protect health care workers from viruses transmitted by blood—bloodborne pathogens—including the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and the human immunodeficiency virus, the virus known to cause AIDS. Three health care organizations, whose members are dentists, medical personnel firms, and home health employers, petitioned the court to review OSHA's rule.The Occupational Safety and Health Act was passed to assure employees that they would have as safe and healthy a working environment as feasible. Congress sought to ensure this by vesting the Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health with the authority to promulgate mandatory safety and health standards. In promulgating standards concerning toxic materials or harmful physical agents, the secretary sets rules that most adequately assure that an employee will not suffer a material impairment of health or functional capacity while performing work-related duties.

scholarly journals EVALUATION OF HEALTH AND SAFETY INSPECTIONS IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgia C. Savva ◽  
Elia A. Tantele ◽  
Renos A. Votsis
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Occupational Diseases ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Economic Effects ◽  
Legal Obligation ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Positive Economic ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
Healthy Working

Safe and healthy working conditions are a legal obligation in most countries. They can also serve as an investment in a healthy business that can lead to positive economic effects. Accidents at work and occupational diseases are neither predetermined nor unavoidable-they always have causes, which are preventable in many cases. International research on the return on investments in prevention proves that every euro invested in safety and health generates a potential benefit of more than two euros in positive economic effects. By building a strong prevention culture, these causes can be eliminated and work-related accidents and occupational diseases are prevented. In this paper, the Health and Safety (H&S) guidelines along their practical approaches of the Construction Sector in Cyprus are presented and evaluated. The applied methodology for the evaluation of the current H&S state is also presented. Through the evaluation, suggestions for future improvements are presented and discussed.

Exploration of burnout in early-career construction management professionals in the USA

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryan Franz ◽  
Tong Wang ◽  
Raja Raymond Issa
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Management ◽  
Personal Development ◽  
Maslach Burnout Inventory ◽  
The United States ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work Related ◽  
The Usa

PurposeConstruction managers face many work-related stressors induced by unrealistic schedule expectations, tight budgets, and long hours. Over time, these stressors can result in both mental and physical exhaustion, a condition referred to as burnout. Early-career managers are a key worker demographic, as they represent the near-term future of the construction industry, yet they have a high risk for burnout. The purpose of this study is to explore the prevalence of burnout in new construction managers, and to identify which individual or work-related factors are associated with feelings of burnout.Design/methodology/approachUsing the Maslach Burnout Inventory General Survey (MBI-GS), data from 146 early-career professionals (less than 10 years of experience) with construction management degrees in the USA were collected and analyzed using correlational and best subset regression techniques.FindingsThe results show that the early-career demographic in the USA experiences both the Emotional Exhaustion and Cynicism dimensions of burnout at comparable levels to prior studies with more mid-to-late career respondents. However, the Professional Efficacy dimension was significantly higher in early-career professionals than any other sample. No individual factors, such as gender, marital status, or number of children, were predictive of any dimension of burnout. Instead, only work-related factors including co-worker friendliness, opportunities for personal development and promotion, and the ability to control the work pacing were strongly associated with one or more dimensions of burnout.Originality/valueThis study is the first to explore burnout in the key early-career demographic for construction managers in the United States construction industry. This work provides evidence that organizational policies and culture have a greater efficacy in alleviating burnout in this demographic, when compared to the work–life balance of the individual.

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