Assessment and Mitigation of Ergonomic Factors in Building Construction

Nowadays, the costs of Musculoskeletal Disorders(MSD) are considered as the main proportion of workers compensation related costs in construction industry. Many construction industry sectors have been experiencing chronic problems, such as poor management of workforce, improper working conditions, tools, and working methods. Many researchers have identified these problems as factors that affect construction productivity and overall ergonomic performance of the workers. Keeping in view the necessity of addressing problems as stated, a questionnaire-based survey will be conducted to study the critical issues related to the workers. This research has identified influence ranks of about 30 factors affecting construction ergonomic performance. These factors were classified under the following three primary classifications: a) human/labor related factors; b) tasks-related factors; and c)equipment/tools-related factors based on various age groups and occupations of the construction workers. With the help of RII(Relative Importance Index ranking, critical factors are determined. Then for these critical factors, postural analysis has been done by most effective tool REBA. Industry practitioners and researchers can use the primary outcomes of this study in developing systems to enhance and improve health and safety of the construction workers for effective management of construction labor workforce and to achieve a competitive level of quality and a cost-effective project. The objective of this is to provide an overview of ergonomic exposures in building construction work to assess and understand the level of ergonomics awareness particularly in construction industry and to identify current safety practices associated with the prevention of ergonomic injuries and illnesses in the construction field.