An action research approach to improving construction workers’ health

Summary

Data regarding physical and mental health status were collected from construction and maintenance workers at participating worksites in Queensland before and after a health promotion program was introduced.

During the program, pulse measures of health behaviour were taken to evaluate the impact of program elements, including healthy eating, physical exercise and smoking cessation initiatives.

The research showed that the initiatives were favourably received but did not measurably change workers’ health behaviour. Systemic factors associated with work hours, weekend work, commuting time and concerns about job security had the greatest impact on workers’ health behaviour and subjective health.

Team

• Helen Lingard
• Michelle Turner
• Nick Blismas
• Ron Wakefield

Partners

• Queensland Department of Justice and Attorney General

Testimonial

The RMIT research gave Workplace Health and Safety Queensland an insight into what factors really impact on the health and wellbeing of construction workers and gives a clear direction on what good practice looks like.

Peer-reviewed papers/outputs

• LINGARD, H. & TURNER, M. (2018) Construction workers’ health: occupational and environmental issues, in Valuing People in Construction. Abingdon, United Kingdom: Taylor and Francis, pp. 23–40.
• LINGARD, H. & TURNER, M. (2017), Work and well-being in the construction industry, in Ronald J. Burke and Kathryn, M. Page (Eds), Research handbook on work and well-being, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham: pp. 189-215.
• LINGARD, H. & TURNER, M., (2017). Promoting construction workers’ health: a multi-level system perspective, Construction Management and Economics, 35. pp. 239-253.
• TURNER, M. & LINGARD, H., (2016), Improving workers’ health in project-based work: Job security considerations, International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, 9 (3), pp.606 – 623.
• LINGARD, H. & TURNER, M., (2015), Improving the health of male, blue collar construction workers: a social ecological perspective, Construction Management and Economics, 33, pp. 18 – 34.