Diseases in construction workers: A critical review and research opportunities

Abstract

There is a need for change in the construction industry to respond to increasing competitive pressure for more productive systems. Thus, given the concern for improving productivity levels in the industry, it is necessary to face the problem from all perspectives. One of these perspectives of analysis is the worker, who plays a key role in the productivity and final results of a project. This is especially relevant in those parts of the world where construction work remains labour-intensive, so occupational and chronic diseases become of interest. Healthier workers are physically and mentally more energetic, robust, productive, and less likely to be absent from work due to illness. Although many employers are now concerned about the health of their workers, their efforts have focused more on medical costs (insurance) than on interventions to understand the impact of health on workforce productivity. Through a systematic literature review, this article describes the status of some occupational and chronic non-communicable diseases in developing countries and how they affect productivity in the construction industry. This will make it possible to have clarity on the diseases that affect construction workers and that have been most studied, such as cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases or diabetes, and also to identify diseases whose impact has been little studied and that require further analysis in order to propose concrete actions to deal with them. Thus, cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes are the most analyzed diseases in the construction sector. However, mental health, musculoskeletal disorders and audiological diseases are also becoming relevant.