OBJECTIVES: Small enterprises have higher exposure to occupational hazards compared to larger enterprises and further, they have fewer resources to control the risks. In order to improve the working environment, development of efficient measures is therefore a major challenge for regulators and other stakeholders. The aim of this paper is to develop a systematic model for the design of tailored intervention programmes meeting the needs of small enterprises. METHODS: An important challenge for the design process is the transfer of knowledge from one context to another. The concept of realist analysis can provide insight into mechanisms by which intervention knowledge can be transferred from one context to another. We use this theoretical approach to develop a design model. RESULTS: The model consist of five steps: 1) Defining occupational health and safety challenges of the target group, 2) selecting methods to improve the working environment, 3) developing theories about mechanisms which motivate the target group, 4) analysing the specific context of the target group for small enterprise programmes including owner-management role, social relations, and the perception of the working environment, and 5) designing the intervention based on the preceding steps. We demonstrate how the design model can be applied in practice by the development of an intervention programme for small enterprises in the construction industry. CONCLUSION: The model provides a useful tool for a systematic design process. The model makes it transparent for both researchers and practitioners as to how existing knowledge can be used in the design of new intervention programmes.
Construction Industry ; Occupational Health

BACKGROUND: Health and safety (H&S) on a construction site can either make or break a contractor, if not properly managed. The usage of Building Information Modeling (BIM) for H&S on construction execution has the potential to augment practitioner understanding of their sites, and by so doing reduce the probability of accidents. This research explores BIM usage within the construction industry in relation to H&S communication. METHODS: In addition to an extensive literature review, a questionnaire survey was conducted to gather information on the embedment of H&S planning with the BIM environment for site practitioners. RESULTS: The analysis of responses indicated that BIM will enhance the current approach of H&S planning for construction site personnel. CONCLUSION: From the survey, toolbox talk will have to be integrated with the BIM environment, because it is the predominantly used procedure for enhancing H&S issues within construction sites. The advantage is that personnel can visually understand H&S issues as work progresses during the toolbox talk onsite.
Construction Industry ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: In comparison with other industries, the construction industry still has a higher rate of fatal injuries, and thus, there is a need to apply new and innovative approaches for preventing accidents and promoting safe conditions at construction sites. METHODS: In this study, the effectiveness of a new incentive system-the surprising incentive system-was assessed. One year after the implementation of this new incentive system, behavioral changes of employees with respect to seven types of activities were observed. RESULTS: The results of this study showed that there is a significant relationship between the new incentive system and the safety performance of frontline employees. The new incentive system had a greater positive impact in the first 6 months since its implementation. In the long term, however, safety performance experienced a gradual reduction. Based on previous studies, all activities selected in this study are important indicators of the safety conditions at workplaces. However, there is a need for a comprehensive and simple-to-apply tool for assessing frontline employees' safety performance. Shortening the intervals between incentives is more effective in promoting safety performance. CONCLUSION: The results of this study proved that the surprising incentive would improve the employees' safety performance just in the short term because the surprising value of the incentives dwindle over time. For this reason and to maintain the surprising value of the incentive system, the amount and types of incentives need to be evaluated and modified annually or biannually.
Construction Industry ; Motivation*

Construction Industry ; Construction Materials ; Humans ; Integrative Medicine ; Pneumoconiosis ; therapy

PURPOSE: This study was to analyze the current preventive measures on alcohol- involved accident and the factors that affect such preventive measures in the construction industry. METHOD: The survey was administered to examine how the preventive measures on alcohol-involved accident were executed using the data of '2005 Occupational Safety and Health Survey' conducted in 2005 by the Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute. For this study, we analyzed 944 work places in the construction industry. RESULT: The preventive measures on alcohol- involved accident were being executed in 62.1% of construction companies. As for the number of actual preventive measures on alcohol-involved accident, work places in Jeolla-do executed 2.63 times more frequently than those in Chungcheong-do, and work places with the Occupational Safety and Health Conference executed 2.22 times more frequently than those without such a measure. CONCLUSION: Joining the Occupational Safety and Health Conference was to be one of the most influential ways of preventive measures on alcohol-involved accident in the construction industry. Accordingly, if workers and employers look for active measures and administer them through the Occupational Safety and Health Conference, it will reduce alcohol-involved accident in the construction industry and contribute to the better preventive measures on alcohol-involved accident in the construction and other industries.
Academies and Institutes ; Construction Industry ; Occupational Health ; Workplace

PURPOSE: This study was to analyze the current preventive measures on alcohol- involved accident and the factors that affect such preventive measures in the construction industry. METHOD: The survey was administered to examine how the preventive measures on alcohol-involved accident were executed using the data of '2005 Occupational Safety and Health Survey' conducted in 2005 by the Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute. For this study, we analyzed 944 work places in the construction industry. RESULT: The preventive measures on alcohol- involved accident were being executed in 62.1% of construction companies. As for the number of actual preventive measures on alcohol-involved accident, work places in Jeolla-do executed 2.63 times more frequently than those in Chungcheong-do, and work places with the Occupational Safety and Health Conference executed 2.22 times more frequently than those without such a measure. CONCLUSION: Joining the Occupational Safety and Health Conference was to be one of the most influential ways of preventive measures on alcohol-involved accident in the construction industry. Accordingly, if workers and employers look for active measures and administer them through the Occupational Safety and Health Conference, it will reduce alcohol-involved accident in the construction industry and contribute to the better preventive measures on alcohol-involved accident in the construction and other industries.
Academies and Institutes ; Construction Industry ; Occupational Health ; Workplace

Accidents, Occupational ; Construction Industry ; Humans ; Occupational Health

BACKGROUND: Due to an increasing number of workers aged 50 years and above, the number of those employed is also on the rise, and those workers aged 50 and over has exceeded 50% of the total fatal occupational injuries. Therefore, it is necessary to implement the selection and concentration by identifying the characteristics of high-risk groups necessary for an effective prevention against and reduction of fatal occupational injuries. METHODS: This study analyzed the characteristics of high-risk groups and the occupational injury fatality rate per 10,000 workers among the workers aged 50 and over through a multi-dimensional analysis by sex, employment status of workers, industry and occupation by targeting 4,079 persons who died in fatal occupational injuries from January 2007 to December 12. RESULTS: The share of the workers aged 50 years and above is increasing every year in the total fatal occupational injuries occurrence, and the high-risk groups include 'male workers' by sex, ‘daily workers’ by worker’s status, ‘craft and related-trades workers’ by occupation, and ‘mining’ by industry. CONCLUSION: The most frequent causal objects of fatal occupational injuries of the workers aged 50 years and above are found out to be ‘installment and dismantlement of temporary equipment and material on work platforms including scaffold’ in the construction industry and ‘mobile crane, conveyor belt and fork lifts’ in the manufacturing industry.
Construction Industry ; Employment ; Humans ; Occupational Injuries* ; Occupations

BACKGROUND: Construction industry is among the most hazardous industries, and needs a comprehensive and simple-to-administer tool to continuously assess and promote its health and safety performance. METHODS: Through the study of various standard systems (mainly Health, Safety, and Environment Management System; Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series 180001; and British Standard, occupational health and safety management systems-Guide 8800), seven main elements were determined for the desired framework, and then, by reviewing literature, factors affecting these main elements were determined. The relative importance of each element and its related factors was calculated at organizational and project levels. The provided framework was then implemented in three construction companies, and results were compared together. RESULTS: The results of the study show that the relative importance of the main elements and their related factors differ between organizational and project levels: leadership and commitment are the most important elements at the organization level, whereas risk assessment and management are most important at the project level. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated that the framework is easy to administer, and by interpreting the results, the main factors leading to the present condition of companies can be determined.
Construction Industry ; Leadership ; Occupational Health* ; Risk Assessment ; Safety Management

The Dutch construction industry has introduced a compulsory preemployment medical examination (PE-ME). Best-evidence contents related to specific job demands are, however, lacking and need to be gathered. After the identification of job demands and health problems in the construction industry (systematic literature search and expert meeting), specific job demands and related requirements were defined and instruments proposed. Finally, a work ability assessment was linked to the instruments' outcomes, resulting in the modular character of the developed PE-ME. Twenty-two specific job demands for all Dutch construction jobs were identified, including kneeling/squatting, working under time pressure, and exposure to hazardous substances. The next step was proposing self-report questions, screening questionnaires, clinical tests, and/or performance-based tests, leading to a work ability judgment. "Lifting/carrying" is described as an example. The new modular PE-ME enables a job-specific assessment of work ability to be made for more than 100 jobs in the Dutch construction industry.
Construction Industry* ; Hazardous Substances ; Judgment ; Mass Screening ; Surveys and Questionnaires