Chapter 2 Recognising health hazards in construction

To date, safety has been the dominant driver for health and safety performance. Forward looking construction companies agree that this drive for excellence in safety performance must continue but it must be matched with an equal drive for health. Rita Donaghy in her 2009 report into the underlying causes of construction-related accidents focuses on safety but also acknowledges that ill health in construction remains a serious issue. Initiatives such as BuildHealth and Constructing Better Health seek to provide a framework to enable construction companies to actively manage health risks and to adopt an holistic approach to health.

This chapter provides background information on the importance of sustaining the health of our construction workers through prevention of injury and ill health, and ensuring access to support and rehabilitation. It identifies relevant work and individual related health risks, and provides a model to make more meaningful to construction workers how the workplace can influence their wellbeing. The paucity of data on the health of construction workers is acknowledged.