Image: Dreamstime/Chrischrisw
The construction industry has one of the highest rates of musculoskeletal disorders of an industry, as the toll taken by physically demanding tasks on workers adds up to an annual bill of £646m.
That’s according to a report from the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA) followed a roundtable meeting of industry leaders, sponsored by VolkerWessels UK, BAM Nuttall, Mace and Multiplex Europe.
The report concluded that all employers need:
- a musculoskeletal disorders action plan, developing awareness of bone, joint and muscle problems beyond just manual handling;
- awareness of musculoskeletal disorders and to encourage open conversations and support when employees are struggling;
- routine monitoring of employee musculoskeletal health and wellbeing.
It called for better prevention through proactivity and understanding people’s motivations to change behaviours. It also highlighted how early support helps bone, joint or muscle disorders but people need to first feel comfortable talking about them, rather than fearing openness as a sign of weakness or opening the way to loss of their jobs.
Adrian Shah-Cundy from VolkerWessells UK, a speaker at the roundtable said: “VolkerWessels UK are proud to be lead sponsor on this initiative. We recognise the need to refocus efforts on the continued issue of musculoskeletal disorders in construction, as part of our responsibility to maintain a workplace free from injury and ill-health. This is a challenging subject due to the physical nature of our activities but, as the figures demonstrate, as an industry we still have a way to go to practically improve working practices and preventive measures. We welcome the opportunity to work with, and learn from, a diverse range of stakeholders for the betterment of health and wellbeing.”
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I am about to start research with the University of Bath in this subject area please contact me on above email kind regards Paul
No proper exercise, bad posture, bad diet, poor life styles are also contributing factors
I have been complaining of this condition for years as a retired Brickie (1 month) some of the worst working conditions on sitework overseen by site agents for the big developers never listen to our complaints of
1.Trying to work in confined spaces while lifting heavy weghts.
2.Over reaching while lifting heavy weights.
3.Standing and working on uneven ground again lifting heavy weights.
On point one .Why do developers put plots stupidly so close together so you only have a narrow gap between houses with barely room to stand let alone load out.when reaching gable lift the chippies put the ladders on and they almost touch in these narrow alley ways. You also have the scaffold uprights to work around,
On point two lazy scaffolders continuously leave the boards short on gables so you have to reach through the scaffold and brick guards to reach the gable to do the cuts thus over reaching with weights.Dopey site agents usually moan if brickies leave this part but do not tell the scaffolders to do the job properly.
On point three,ground worker gangers not stoning up bases properly or using stone that is too big which breaks your ankles.
So if any of the younger guys think its ok to do it this way just remember in 20-30 years your bodies will be knackered as well.
So if you have had to work with thes idiots and conditions for years like I have no wonder my bloody body has worn out.