Workstress
in the Construction Industry: Causes and Measures
(The following information has been abstracted from a paper
submitted to the 2nd International Symposium on Ergonomics in Building
and Construction, IEA, August 2000) |
|
H.F.
van der Molen
and P.L.T. Hoonakker
Arbouw Foundation, P.O. Box 8114, 1005 AC Amsterdam, the Netherlands
+31 20-5805580 / vdmolen@arbouw.nl
Introduction
In the Dutch construction industry over half of the employees experience
considerable pressure of work, and they think that measures should be
taken either to prevent high work pressure or reduce it. Employers also
admit that work pressure is sometimes high. One quarter of the employers
taking part in a Dutch monitoring study (1995) on stress and physical
workload admitted that work pressure is indeed high. However, only 3%
of the employers say that this causes serious problems. In this paper
results will be presented of recent research on trends in complaints of
workstress of construction workers in the past decade. Furthermore results
will be presented on the nature and number of measures implemented at
20 construction companies.
Methods and Results
Quantative monitoring study of work stress complaints
Per year about 35,000 construction workers have a voluntary medical check
up. They fill in a validated questionnaire concerning their health status
and their perceived working conditions. The two-years periods 1993/1994,
1995/1996 and 1997/1998 will be compaired on the aspects of workstress.
Qualitative study on feasible measures
With a semi-structured interview employers and employees at 20 construction
companies are questioned about feasible measures to reduce the workstress.
A distinction is made on measures at an individual level and group level
Discussion
Nowadays construction companies start more and more to experiment with
different ways of work organisation. But still too little attention has
been paid to experiments on implementation of technical and organisational
solutions. More projects at company level (aimed at reducing workstress)
will be needed to gain more insight into effective solutions aimed at
reducing complaints about workstress.
References
1. Koningsveld, E.A.P., and Molen, H.F. van der. History and future of
ergonomics in building and construction. Ergonomics,
vol 40, no 10, 1997, 1025-1034.
2. Arbouw. Work stress in the construction industry. ODAM conference,
The Haque, August 1998
2a Molen, H.F. van der, Hoonakker, P.L.T. and Duivenbooden, J.C. van.
Work stress in the Dutch construction industry:
causes and consequences
2b Hoonakker, P.L.T., Dierendonck, D. van, Molen, H.F. van der, and Ginkel,
A. van. The relation between experienced
workload, working conditions, health and absenteeism in construction
industry.
2c Duivenbooden, J.C. van, Molen, H.F. van der, Broersen, J.P.J. and Rovekamp,
A.J.M. Work related stress in the construction
industry.
2d Houtman, I.L.D., Hoogendoorn, W.E. and Zuidhof, A.J. Work stress, strain
and measures taken as reported by employers
and employees in the construction industry.
2E Nijhuis, F.J.N., Janssen, P. and de Jong, A. Stress reduction at the
workplace: a participatory approach.
This paper appears in the eLCOSH website with the permission of the author
and/or copyright holder and may not be reproduced without their consent.
eLCOSH is an information clearinghouse. eLCOSH and its sponsors are not
responsible for the accuracy of information provided on this web site,
nor for its use or misuse.
eLCOSH
| CDC | NIOSH
| Site Map | Search
| Links | Help
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy
|