Construction Work And Risk Of Occupational Disability

V. Arndt, D. Rothenbacher, U. Daniel, B. Zschenderlein

, S. Schuberth, H. Brenner, Occupational and Environmental Medicine Vol. 62

Working conditions in the field of the concrete construction industry have vastly improved in many countries over the duration of the past decades but hard physical labor with frequent lifting and transport of burdensome weights, static work, exposure to vibrations, climatic influences, noise, and dust still pose substantial strains for construction workers and can deleteriously affect their strength. Construction work is recognized for its high risk of sustaining fatal and non-fatal injuries while on the job. Almost 20% of all work injuries in Germany occur in the field of the construction industry. The yearly injury rate (non-fatal and fatal accidents) of 82 for each 1000 construction workers is 2.5 times the typical rate of 34.5 for each 1000 in the field of all branches of industry. Similar records have been reported from the US and the UK. Falls are the leading cause of occupational injuries in the field of the construction industry and constitute an ample proportion of permanent and temporary disability. In addition to accidents, musculoskeletal disorders sum up an ample part of non-fatal injuries and illnesses in the field of construction work.

Disability pensioning has emerged at the same time as a notable social problem in modern years. Although remedial disablement is a requirement for disability pension, the causes of occupational disability are complex and some non-medical factors, such as socio-demographic, socioeconomic, and lifestyle factors (e.g., smoking) have been identified as non-medical determinants of occupational disability. In addition, work characteristics, like burdensome manual work and repetitive movements, are considered factors of importance for many of the conditions leading to occupational disability.

In a prior study, we examined mortality and morbidity amid 5000 construction workers over the course of a five year period and we found a significant increase in the risk of occupational disability and a tendency towards an increased risk of all cause mortality for construction workers in comparison with a white collar control group. Additional specifics, however, would presently be of extreme interest as our earlier survey hazard analysis was narrowed only to all-cause disability and did not allow in-depth cause specific analysis. For the duration of the last few years, we were able to enlarge the cohort and to increase the follow up period to 10 years, which enables us to find the detailed pattern of the nature and magnitude of occupational disability amid construction workers in Germany. Specifically, we were interested to foresee whether there are specific at-risk groups with respect to the underlying cause of disability but also with respect to age, nationality, occupational group, and duration of employment, which would especially benefit from preventive measures. Older workers and workers who have worked for an extensive time in the field of physically demanding jobs are of particular interest in this context as aging is associated with a decline in work capacity and accompanied by an increase in long-term musculoskeletal disorders and other chronic diseases.

Our data indicate that the increased danger of disability amid construction workers is mostly due to disorders of the musculoskeletal disorder and accidents. There is stark evidence that physical labor with lifting, static muscular loading and uncomfortable work positions is associated with an increased danger of occupational disability, particularly musculoskeletal disorders. This pattern is also reflected by the job specific analysis indicating that plasterers, bricklayers, carpenters, and laborers are at the highest risk of becoming disabled due to musculoskeletal disorders. Plumbers and painters too experience static muscular loading and uncomfortable positions, but lifting and treatment of heavy loads are less common than in other certified groups considered within our study.

The silent hazards of construction work with respect to accidents are well established. Our results confirm that older construction workers specifically experience a higher risk of incurring occupational disability from accidents. Although there is discussion whether older or younger workers are at higher risk of incurring injuries.

by: joe thorton

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