Abstract
Construction requires, inter alia, bending and twisting, working in awkward or cramped positions, reaching away from the body and overhead, repetitive movements, handling heavy materials and equipment, use of body force, exposure to vibration and noise, and climbing and descending. The paper, which is based upon interviews conducted with workers in the employ of four general contractors (GCs), determined, inter alia: the feet, and arms are mostly used; the lower back, feet, and upper back are the anatomic regions where most pain is experienced, and exposure to noise, and bending or twisting the back predominate among ergonomic problems encountered. Conclusions include: the nature of construction work and the various ergonomic problems identified, amplifies the need for investigating alternative methodology and simple forms of mechanisation, and use of labour. Recommendations include, inter alia: optimum work organisation, and educational programmes, which include induction and ‘toolbox talks’.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Ray, S.J., Teizer, J.: Real-time construction worker posture analysis for ergonomics training. Adv. Eng. Inform. 26, 439–455 (2012)
Smallwood, J.J., Haupt, T.C.: Construction ergonomics; perspectives of female and male production workers. In: 25th Association of Researchers in Construction Management Conference, pp. 1263–1271 (2009)
Smallwood, J., Ajayi, O.: The impact of training on construction ergonomics knowledge and awareness. ErgonomicsSA 21(1), 23–38 (2009)
Construction Safety Association of Ontario (CSAO): Back Care and Manual Materials Handling in Construction. Etobicoke, CSAO, Ontario (1993)
The Construction Workers Health Trust (CWHT): Construction Workers. A Research Project on MSD and Back Pain in the Construction Industry. CWHT, Dublin (2002)
Health and Safety Executive (HSE): Musculoskeletal disorders, mental health and the work environment. Research Report 316. HSE Books (2005)
Health and Safety Executive (HSE): Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WRMSDs) Statistics in Great Britain 2017. HSE (2017)
Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB): Construction Heath and Safety in South Africa Status and Recommendations. CIDB, Pretoria (2009)
Smallwood, J.J.: Ergonomics in construction. ErgonomicsSA 9(1), 6–23 (1997)
Smallwood, J.J., Deacon, C.H., Venter, D.J.L.: Ergonomics in construction: workers’ perceptions of strain. ErgonomicsSA 12(1), 2–12 (2002)
Smallwood, J.J.: Construction ergonomics: general contractor (GC) perceptions. ErgonomicsSA 14(1), 8–18 (2002)
Federated Employers Mutual Assurance (FEM): Injuries per Injury Type (2018). http://www.fem.co.za/Layer_SL/FEM_Home/FEM_Accident_Stats/FEM_Accident_Stats.htm
The Center for Construction Research and Training: (CPWR): The Construction Chart Book, 5th edn. CPWR, Silver Spring (2018)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature
About this paper
Cite this paper
Smallwood, J., Deacon, C. (2019). Ergonomics in Construction: Where Does It Hurt?. In: Goonetilleke, R., Karwowski, W. (eds) Advances in Physical Ergonomics & Human Factors. AHFE 2018. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 789. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-94484-5_36
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-94484-5_36
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-94483-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-94484-5
eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)