Leading Indicators of the Health and Well-Being of the Construction Workforce: Perception of Industry Professionals
Publication: Practice Periodical on Structural Design and Construction
Volume 28, Issue 1
Abstract
Construction is one of the most hazardous and stressful occupations throughout the world. The dynamic, complex, and high-risk nature of construction operations places significant burden on the construction workforce. This significant burden of construction operations can compromise the health and well-being of the construction workforce. The objective of the present study is to identify leading indicators of the health and well-being of the construction workforce. To achieve the study objective, a survey questionnaire was developed and distributed to construction experts in the United States. After collecting and analyzing the responses, it was found that there are six leading indicators of the health and well-being of the construction workforce: (1) toolbox talks, (2) company social events, (3) safety, health care, and wellness program, (4) employee assistance program (EAP), (5) employee benefits and perks, and (6) annual medical checkups. Identifying these indicators helps construction organizations interested in supporting employee career advancement assess and improve the health and well-being of the workforce. The findings of the study make a practical contribution to the body of knowledge on construction health and safety and enables the practitioner community to utilize the identified indicators for managing and improving construction employee health and well-being.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Data Availability Statement
All the survey data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
References
Abowitz, D. A., and T. M. Toole. 2010. “Mixed method research: Fundamental issues of design, validity, and reliability in construction research.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 136 (1): 108–116. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000026.
Al-Saffar, O. T. 2020. “Decision-making tool to select construction contractors based on safety performance.” Master’s thesis, School of Civil and Construction Engineering, Oregon State Univ.
ASSE (American Society of Safety Professionals). 2016. Employer’s guide to hiring a safety professional. Des Plaines, IL: ASSE.
Awolusi, I., E. Marks, and S. Vereen. 2017. “Qualifications and staffing requirements of safety personnel in construction.” Pract. Period. Struct. Des. Constr. 22 (4): 04017009. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)SC.1943-5576.0000328.
BEA (Bureau of Economic Analysis). 2020. “Industry economic account data: GDP by industry: Components of value added by industry.” Accessed October 10, 2020. https://apps.bea.gov/iTable/iTable.cfm?reqid=150&step=2&isuri=1&categories=gdpxind#tabpanel_2_1.
Belton, I., A. MacDonald, G. Wright, and I. Hamlin. 2019. “Improving the practical application of the Delphi method in group-based judgment: A six-step prescription for a well-founded and defensible process.” Technol. Forecasting Social Change 147 (7): 72–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2019.07.002.
Beyer, C. 2020. “Why employee assistance programs are valuable during & after COVID-19: How to take care of construction’s core assets.” Accessed April 15, 2021. https://www.constructionbusinessowner.com/workforce-management/why-employee-assistance-programs-are-valuable-during-after-covid-19.
Bilau, A. A., A. M. Ajagbe, A. B. Sholanke, and T. A. Sani. 2015. “Impact of employee turnover in small and medium construction firms: A literature review.” Int. J. Eng. Res. Technol. 4 (2): 977–984.
BLS (US Bureau of Labor Statistics). 2017. “Job openings and labor turnover survey.” Accessed September 1, 2020. https://www.bls.gov/jlt/.
BLS (US Bureau of Labor Statistics). 2021a. “Injuries, illnesses, and fatalities.” Accessed March 31, 2021. https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/case/msds.htm.
BLS (US Bureau of Labor Statistics). 2021b. “Injuries, illnesses, and fatalities Table R1.” Accessed March 31, 2021. https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/osh/case/cd_r1_2019.htm.
Chan, A., E. Yung, P. Lam, C. Tam, and S. Cheung. 2001. “Application of Delphi method in selection of procurement systems for construction projects.” Construct. Manage. Econ. 19 (7): 699–718. https://doi.org/10.1080/01446190110066128.
CPWR (Center for Construction Research and Training). 2019. “Quarterly data report: Trends of musculoskeletal disorders and interventions in the construction industry.” Accessed April 1, 2021. https://www.cpwr.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Quarter3-QDR-2019.pdf.
Doyle, A. 2019. “Types of employee benefits and perks.” Accessed February 20, 2021. https://www.thebalancecareers.com/types-of-employee-benefits-and-perks-2060433.
Findley, M., S. Smith, T. Kress, G. Petty, and E. Kim. 2004. “Safety program elements in construction.” Prof. Saf. 49 (2): 14.
Fischhoff, B., P. Slovic, S. Lichtenstein, S. Read, and B. Combs. 1978. “How safe is safe enough? A psychometric study of attitudes towards technological risks and benefits.” Policy Sci. 9 (2): 127–152. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00143739.
Gambatese, J., A. A. Karakhan, and D. R. Simmons. 2019. Development of a workforce sustainability model for construction. Pune, Maharashtra, India: Center for Construction Research and Training.
Jacobsen, H. B., A. Caban-Martinez, L. C. Onyebeke, G. Sorensen, J. T. Dennerlein, and S. E. Reme. 2013. “Construction workers struggle with a high prevalence of mental distress and this is associated with their pain and injuries.” J. Occup. Environ. Med. 55 (10): 1197. https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0b013e31829c76b3.
JUST. 2019. “JUST user manual 2.0.” Accessed March 18, 2020. https://living-future.org/just/.
Karakhan, A. A., J. Gambatese, D. R. Simmons, and C. Nnaji. 2020. “How to improve workforce development and sustainability in construction.” In Proc., Construction Research Congress 2020: Safety, Workforce, and Education, 21–30. Reston, VA: ASCE.
Karakhan, A. A., and J. A. Gambatese. 2017. “Safety innovation and integration in high-performance designs: Benefits, motivations, and obstacles.” Pract. Period. Struct. Des. Constr. 22 (4): 04017018. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)SC.1943-5576.0000338.
Karakhan, A. A., J. A. Gambatese, D. R. Simmons, and A. J. Al-Bayati. 2021. “Identifying pertinent indicators for assessing and fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion of the construction workforce.” J. Manage. Eng. 37 (2): 04020114. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000885.
Kaskutas, V., L. Jaegers, A. M. Dale, and B. Evanoff. 2016. “Toolbox talks: Insights for improvement.” Prof. Saf. 61 (1): 33–37.
Mayo, G., and R. R. A. Issa. 2016. “Nongeometric building information needs assessment for facilities management.” J. Manage. Eng. 32 (3): 04015054. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000414.
McKinsey Global Institute. 2017. “Reinventing construction through a productivity revolution.” Accessed January 7, 2020. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/capital-projects-and-infrastructure/our-insights/reinventing-construction-through-a-productivity-revolution.
Melhorn J. M., and E. M. Kennedy. 2008. “Musculoskeletal disorders, disability, and return-to-work (repetitive strain).” In Handbook of complex occupational disability claims. Berlin: Springer.
Mohammed, S. R., and A. J. Jasim. 2018. “Examining the values and principles of agile construction management in Iraqi construction projects.” J. Eng. 24 (7): 114–133. https://doi.org/10.31026/j.eng.2018.07.08.
Olson, R., A. Varga, A. Cannon, J. Jones, I. Gilbert-Jones, and E. Zoller. 2016. “Toolbox talks to prevent construction fatalities: Empirical development and evaluation.” Saf. Sci. 86 (5): 122–131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2016.02.009.
OPM (Office of Personnel Management). 2021. What is an employee assistance program (EAP)? Washington, DC: US Office of Personnel Management.
OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration). 2016. “Recommended practices for safety & health programs in construction.” Accessed April 15, 2021. https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/OSHA3886.pdf.
Palikhe, S., M. Yirong, B. Y. Choi, and D. E. Lee. 2020. “Analysis of musculoskeletal disorders and muscle stresses on construction workers’ awkward postures using simulation.” Sustainability 12 (14): 5693. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12145693.
Rasheed, E. K. 2015. “Valuation the impact of risks on the goals and the safety of construction projects in Iraq.” J. Eng. 21 (4): 1–19.
Rasheed, E. K. 2016. “A program applying professional safety basics in construction projects.” J. Eng. 22 (4): 1–21.
Ray, S. J., and J. Teizer. 2012. “Real-time construction worker posture analysis for ergonomics training.” Adv. Eng. Inf. 26 (2): 439–455. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aei.2012.02.011.
Rogers, M. R., and E. C. Lopez. 2002. “Identifying critical cross-cultural school psychology competencies.” J. Sch. Psychol. 40 (2): 115–141. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0001913.
SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management). 2019. “SHRM employee benefits 2019.” Accessed March 30, 2021. https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/trends-and-forecasting/research-and-surveys/Documents/SHRM%20Employee%20Benefits%202019%20Executive%20Summary.pdf.
Sierra, L. A., E. Pellicer, and V. Yepes. 2016. “Social sustainability in the lifecycle of Chilean public infrastructure.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 142 (5): 05015020. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0001099.
Starnes, D. S., D. S. Yates, and D. S. Moore. 2003. The practice of statistics. 2nd ed. New York: W. H. Freeman.
Waehrer, G. M., T. R. Miller, D. Hendrie, and D. M. Galvin. 2016. “Employee assistance programs, drug testing, and workplace injury.” J. Saf. Res. 57 (5): 53–60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2016.03.009.
Westfall, B. 2019. “Everything you need to know about employee assistance programs.” Accessed April 6, 2021. https://blog.capterra.com/employee-assistance-programs/.
WHA (Workforce Health Assessors). 2019. “Pre-employment medicals for the building and construction industry.” Accessed January 21, 2021. https://wha.net.au/news/pre-employment-medicals-building-and-construction-industry.
Yeung, J. F., A. P. Chan, and D. W. Chan. 2009. “Developing a performance index for relationship-based construction projects in Australia: Delphi study.” J. Manage. Eng. 25 (2): 59–68. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0742-597X(2009)25:2(59).
Zhang, L., Y. Yao, and T. W. Yiu. 2020. “Job burnout of construction project managers: Exploring the consequences of regulating emotions in workplace.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 146 (10): 04020117. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0001913.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 8, 2022
Accepted: Aug 19, 2022
Published online: Oct 20, 2022
Published in print: Feb 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Mar 20, 2023
ASCE Technical Topics:
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.