Health In Construction Industry Research Articles

Work stressors, coping strategies, and poor mental health in the Chinese construction industry

Research on mental health in the construction industry has accelerated recently, and findings reveal that the mental health of construction employees is poor. However, very little research has been conducted on mental health in the construction industry of mainland China which is a key section of the global construction industry. This research, therefore, aims to understand the mental health stressors, coping strategies, and outcomes of construction employees in mainland China. Using an online questionnaire, data were collected from 336 respondents working for different types of organizations across 60 Chinese cities. The results revealed that stressors experienced by Chinese construction employees can be categorized into demanding work time requirements, poor reward, threats at work, work-family conflict, poor social support, and poor work conditions. Stressors related to demanding work time requirements occur more frequently than other stressors and are associated with poor mental health outcomes, while work-family conflict has the strongest influence on poor mental health outcomes. Problem-focused coping strategies were generally preferred to passive emotion-focused and maladaptive coping, while maladaptive coping is strongly associated with poor mental health outcomes. Prevalence rates of medium to extremely severe levels of depression, anxiety, and stress among Chinese construction employees were higher than those of other Chinese employee populations, indicating that construction employees’ preferred coping strategies did not significantly improve their mental health, resulting in their poor mental health outcomes. Interventions from construction organizations and the industry are hence advocated to mitigate the effects of work-related stressors if the mental health of Chinese construction employees is to improve.

건설업 안전보건에 관한 인간공학적 연구에 대한 문헌조사

Objective: This study is aimed to review the ergonomic studies about safety and health of construction industry, and to discuss the directions for future studies.<BR>Background: Due to the dynamic nature of construction works, the industry lacks an emphasis on implementing ergonomic solutions.<BR>Method: The papers published after 2000 were searched using DBPia, KISTI, KISS, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases.<BR>Results: Total 11 domestic articles and 6 review papers from international journals were analyzed. They could be classified into the studies on musculoskeletal symptoms, checklist, human error, observational methods and development of measurement device.<BR>Conclusion: This paper summarized the studies on the safety and health of construction industry, along with a discussion of their applicability.<BR>Application: The results might be of help to guide the direction of further safety and health research for construction industry.

Special Session 23 Occupational Health in Construction Industry

Special Session 23 Occupational Health in Construction Industry

Knowledge, attitude and practices of design for safety (DfS): A dynamic insight between academics and practitioners in Malaysia

Design for safety (DfS) is increasingly gaining relevance in improving construction occupational safety and health. Specifically, Occupational Safety and Health in Construction Industry (Management) (OSHCI(M)) guidelines were established in Malaysia to improve DfS practices. Therefore, the need to gauge the DfS knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) of construction stakeholders is significant. The objective of this paper is twofold. Firstly, to investigate the DfS KAP between the academics and practitioners. Secondly, to recommend the mechanisms for improving the learning of DfS among the key stakeholders. This study used a KAP survey and a discussion forum from five DfS workshops, followed by the development of framework using a Causal Loop Diagram (CLD). The findings revealed that stakeholders are very positive towards DfS implementation. Creating a culture of shared DfS learning, continuous engagement in education and training, and organisational lifelong DfS learning were highlighted as ways to improve DfS learning. The CLD shows that the effectiveness of DfS learning is attributed to funding, early learning, capacity building, and practical DfS guidance. This study helps advance DfS learning towards improving the KAP of construction professionals, hence facilitating DfS diffusion within and beyond the organisation and construction projects.

Key Design Issues in the Construction Project: Conceptual and Detailed Design Review Phases

The Malaysian construction industry is among the highest ranked industries that contributes to accident and fatality rates. The Guidelines on Occupational Safety and Health in Construction Industry (Management) (OSHCIM) has introduced guidelines for design risk reduction in the construction industry. It involves determining root causes and mitigating the risk by control of the causation of accidents. The objective of this study is to identify the key design issues during the conceptual and detailed design review phases in the construction project. Although some of the design considerations have already been proposed by the OSCHIM guidelines, however, further implementation need to be diverse and versatile by considering the current design practices that are already being practiced by the industry practitioners. The methodology of this research involves document reviews, and a questionnaire survey that was used to collect answers from respondents in the construction industry. According to the results, the key design issues in the conceptual phase involve the site condition, environmental influences, ground or ground water condition, existing structure, demolition, services, adjacent to major infrastructure, traffic disruption, access for works, adjacent to other properties and projects, and site restriction. Moreover, those found in the detailed phase involve the mechanized construction system, installation of prefabrication components, ease of process, structural opening, edge line, fall hazard, accident prevention, layout optimization, ease of activities, permanent safety features, provision of access, and fall hazard. However, it is the duty of the construction industry practitioners to make sure that all other design issues are also included into their construction project risk analysis. As proposed by the OSHCIM guidelines, the review of design risks in the construction project should consider safety in all the stages: during construction, operation, maintenance, modification, and demolition. Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB)

Analysis of attributes critical to the designer’s prevention through design competence in construction: the case of Malaysia

ABSTRACT The impact of Prevention through Design (PtD) practises in improving OSH in the construction sector has been recognised by scholars and industry practitioners. Even though there is now a significant body of PtD literature, the context of profiling the designers’ PtD competence in developing countries, such as Malaysia, remains elusive. Due to the recent implementation of PtD-based guideline in Malaysia, the Occupational Safety and Health in Construction Industry (Management) (OSHCI(M)), the need to recognise the characteristics of a competent designer in fulfilling OSHCI(M) requirements is important and timely. To address this gap, a two-pronged research approach was adopted. First, 135 practitioners were selected using purposive sampling to participate in the questionnaire survey. This is followed by discussions with practitioners who have experiences in OSHCI(M) projects, to further validate the survey findings. The findings highlight that the top five important PtD competency attributes were knowledge-based attributes i.e. (construction, design feature, risk and hazard, management concepts and legislative framework). Meanwhile, design and construction experience, hazard-related and collaboration skills were also significant for PtD competency. The findings also indicate that continuous efforts related to collaborative contractual arrangement, early education, professional training and institutional pressure are needed to bridge the designers’ priori and experiential knowledge and skills, where the new normal of OSH practice is required to address the required OSHCI(M) duties. This study extends the current PtD literature in terms of providing a new perspective on designers’ PtD competence in the field of construction, from the context of developing countries.

Prevention through Design (PtD) Education for Future Civil Engineers in Malaysia: Current State, Challenges, and Way Forward

The lack of prevention through design (PtD) education in higher education institutions has long been recognised in construction literature. Despite the fact that some of the institutions have embedded PtD education in their curricula, it is often not addressed in engineering curricula in higher education institutions in developing countries, such as Malaysia. Due to the recent introduction of the Occupational Safety and Health in Construction Industry (Management) [OSHCI(M)] guideline, which is based on the PtD concept, the need to incorporate the PtD concept and skills in engineering programs is crucial, as part of early safety education for future engineers. In order to address this gap in the body of knowledge, this study aims to investigate the current state of safety education in general and PtD in specific, in order to understand the extent the subject has been covered within the curricula of civil engineering programs in Malaysian higher educational institutions. A qualitative research methodology via case studies of seven public universities was adopted. The findings indicated that not only is the level of PtD education in civil engineering programs almost nonexistent, but the occupational health and safety (OHS) education itself was only covered to a certain extent. This significant gap has led to recommendations including the need for institutional dynamism in the context of incorporating OHS subjects, interactive OHS teaching and learning, technology-driven education, and the improving the competency of OHS lecturers. This study could act as a reference for the industry, accreditation bodies, and educational institutions to understand the status quo of PtD education for future engineers towards OSHCI(M) implementation. The findings also extend the knowledge of PtD education in construction literature, subsequently providing insights for wider incorporation of PtD in civil engineering programs.

Occupational safety and health in construction industry management (OSHCIM) implementation – Academician’s perspectives

The high incidents number of injuries and fatality rates in the construction industry are generally due to hazards on site. Early intervention of hazards could lead to safer construction processes. The Safety by Design (SbD) is a process that identifies hazard and assesses risks early in the project design stage, in comparison to during the construction stage. A study in Spain shows that there is still lack of emphasis on the SbD concept in higher education although the concept had been implemented for quite some time. The lack of tertiary education regarding SbD could lead to insufficient knowledge for the effective implementation of SbD by future professionals. As for the Malaysian construction industry, SbD will be soon implemented as the Guidelines on Occupational Safety and Health in Construction Industry (Management) – OSHCIM. Therefore, this paper sought to review the perception of academician regarding OSHCIM implementation. The quantitative strategy is adopted, and a set of questionnaires are distributed among academicians involved in educating architecture, civil engineering, quantity surveying, mechanical and electrical engineering courses in Malaysia’s Institute of Higher Learning. The research indicates that most of the academicians appear to agree that sufficient knowledge and the right attitude is essential for the successful implementation of SbD education in university. It seems that all academicians from different background have higher attitude mean score compared to their knowledge mean score. Even though some of the academicians might not be familiar with the concept, most of the academician was not against it and had a positive attitude towards it.

Occupational safety and health construction industry management (OSHCIM): current practice in Malaysia

The accident occurred in the construction industry is reportedly the third-highest after manufacturing and agriculture industry. The percentage of accident cases and fatality ratios in the Malaysian construction industry are getting larger and gradually increasing each year. This data indicates that the safety and health performance in the Malaysian construction industry appears to be weak. Henceforth, the Department of Occupational Safety and Health Malaysia (DOSH) through government initiative has introduced and published a guideline on Occupational Safety and Health in Construction Industry (Management) 2017. This guideline aims to decrease 50% of the fatality rates in the construction industry by 2020. Therefore, this paper sought to review the current OSHCIM practice in Malaysia construction industry towards the OSHCIM implementation. This study adopted a quantitative approach in conducting the data collection and the data analysis process. A set of a questionnaire developed, tested and distributed to the construction stakeholders, i.e. client, designer, safety and health officer, contractor, and enforcer. The results discovered that the OSHCIM concept already being “Practice” by the construction stakeholders in Malaysia in terms of the (1) management, and (2) standard operating procedure elements. Thus, this study shows that the construction stakeholders were currently practising the OSHCIM concept but with different procedure and approach. In conclusion, the implementation of OSHCIM in Malaysia construction industry is foreseen to be well accepted as most of the stakeholders are familiar with the concept of design for safety.

Exploring the knowledge of Prevention through Design (PtD) among Malaysian civil & structural designers

Devastating accidents in construction projects have elevated interests on providing early attention to safety hazards in design phase. Calls for changes in safety practice, through the Prevention through Design (PtD) concept has become increasingly vocal in various countries. In Malaysia, a Guidelines of Occupational Safety And Health in Construction Industry (Management) (OSHCI(M)), which stems from the PtD concept was launched to provide guidance for designers to enhance their PtD capability. This paper aims to explore the current PtD knowledge among C&S designers, in order to gauge the initial understanding towards OSHCI(M) implementation. Data were collected from 70 C&S designers in Malaysia through questionnaire survey and discussion conducted from four series of PtD workshops. The findings revealed that despite the current state of C&S designer’s knowledge still needs to be improved, majority of them have been very positive and supportive on the OSHCI(M) implementation. A number of recommendations towards improving the PtD knowledge have been highlighted; PtD early education; the use of pedagogical approach in PtD teaching; continuous training and establish integrated PtD educational resources. This study extends the PtD literature in construction context, in particular into the advancements towards improving the PtD knowledge among designers in the developing countries.

A knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) study on prevention through design: a dynamic insight into civil and structural engineers in Malaysia

ABSTRACTThe concept of Prevention through Design (PtD) has received increasing attention in various countries, as part of the effort to enhance the safety of construction works. In Malaysia, the Occupational Safety and Health in Construction Industry (Management) (OSHCI(M)) guideline, which is based on the PtD concept, was introduced in 2017 to transform the safety practices in the construction industry. Due to the recent introduction to OSHCI(M), this study aims to explore the PtD knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) among Civil & Structural (C&S) engineers towards OSHCI(M) implementation. Data were collected from 49 C&S engineers in Malaysia using a KAP questionnaire and discussion forum based on three series of workshops. Results from the forum sessions were then collated into a framework and illustrated using a dynamic approach called Causal Loop Diagram (CLD). The findings revealed that the current state of C&S engineers’ knowledge still requires improvement, particularly on the PtD principles. The practices of PtD were mostly work-in-progress, but the majority of them have been very supportive on the implementation of PtD. Three recommendations for improving the PtD implementation were proposed: the external forces, industry dynamics and operational organisation factors. The relationship demonstrated in the CLD shows that the reliance on external forces will be reduced with the increase in industry dynamics that coherently enhances also the operational organisation towards PtD. This study extends the PtD literature in construction context as well as provides the status quo on the appreciation of PtD in the local context towards total implementation of OSHCI(M).

Evaluation Criteria of Safety and Health Induction for Construction Worker (SICW) in Malaysia

Workplace safety is one the main concern by facilities managers due to high fatality rates in Malaysia construction industry. Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) training is an important effort to reduce workplace accident and improve employees’ safety and health in construction industry by enhancing the workers’ safety knowledge and awareness on workplace. In Malaysia, Safety and Health Induction for Construction Worker (SICW) or commonly known as Green Card Training, a mandatory safety training, has been introduced by Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) to the construction related workers in order to enhance the workers’ safety knowledge and awareness on workplace. However, SICW has never been evaluated in term of its effectiveness in delivering safety knowledge and awareness to the workers since it has been introduced. Therefore, an evaluation is needed to be carried out to evaluate the safety knowledge and awareness gain by the workers from SICW. This paper will show the evaluation criteria for SICW based on the topics covered by standardized materials provided by CIDB. The evaluation criteria will serve as a guideline for evaluation of SICW in future research.