Ethnic background and risk perception in construction workers: development and validation of an exploratory tool

Abstract

Objectives: Among occupational sectors, construction is still one of the branches with the highest reported numbers of work-related injuries and diseases, which can even lead to death and in many cases induce permanent health consequences. The vast majority of these occupational injuries and diseases are preventable; accordingly, an improvement in preventive strategies, also through a better knowledge of the main factors involved in these events, is one of the most important objectives for better occupational health and safety in the construction sector. Considering the individual factors associated with a higher risk of work-related adverse health effects in workers, an inadequate perception of occupational risks is among the most relevant issues. Risk perception can vary according to different cultural backgrounds, highly influenced by ethnicity, and it affects the relations between workers in the work environment, and the way by with they undergo the specific occupational tasks and manage risky situations frequently occurring on construction sites. Accordingly, the aim of the authors was to develop a new tool for the assessment of risk perception in construction workers with different ethnic backgrounds. Material and Methods: A team of health and safety experts involved in the training of construction workers from various ethnic backgrounds and in different regions of Italy developed and validated a questionnaire-based tool for the evaluation of their risk perception. Furthermore, through a factor analysis, a reference model defining various dimensions of occupational risk perception, relevant for the different ethnicities, was identified. Results: The final tool included 12 items aimed to assess the associations between the ethnic background and occupational risk perception of construction workers. The authors identified 4 relevant dimensions: behavioral control, work conditions, safety climate and personal attitude. Conclusions: The proposed tool should be considered to explore the appropriate ways for the development of effective preventive strategies for construction workers with different ethnic backgrounds in Italy.

Influences of Migrant Construction Workers’ Environmental Risk Perception on Their Physical and Mental Health: Evidence from China

“…In addition to environmental pollution, studies have also documented that migrant construction workers’ health is affected by their socio-demographic characteristics, such as gender, age, ethnicity, education, income, working year, environmental literacy, and frequency of mass media usage [ 25 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 , 78 ]. Therefore, the influences of these variables on migrant construction workers’ health were controlled.…”

“…As a classical factor to affect health, income was also tested. It has been shown that workers with low income tend to save money to support family, rather than spending money on health services for themselves [ 25 ]. Therefore, migrant construction workers with a lower income level may have a weaker sense of health, and worse health status compared with workers with higher income.…”

“…In addition to risky construction activities, environmental risks leave them firmly in a vulnerable position [ 23 , 24 ]. Specifically, air pollution, industrial waste pollution, and noise pollution affect their working sites and domestic waste pollution, water pollution, and food pollution affect their living sites [ 25 , 26 , 27 ].…”

“…At their living sites, migrant construction workers face severe levels of domestic waste pollution around the accommodations. Restrained by living cost in urban areas, most migrant construction workers live in temporary housing made of iron plates and foam or in rental housing that had been abandoned by local residents, which are small, humble, and are almost only used for cooking and sleeping [ 25 , 42 ]. At the end of 2019, the average per capita living space of migrant workers in a Chinses city with a population of five million was only 16.5 m 2 [ 43 ].…”

“…To remind policy makers and employers the environmental risks migrant construction workers are exposed to, many published studies have objectively and quantitatively assessed the magnitude of environmental risks. These environmental risks include air pollution, industrial e-waste pollution, and occupational noise pollution at their working sites [ 20 , 25 , 28 , 54 , 55 ]. For example, a study taking currency as unit, quantitatively assessed workers’ health damage caused by construction dust, by employing a life cycle environmental impact assessment model and a disability adjusted life year model, and the results revealed the health damage caused by per unit earthwork construction approximate to $169 thousand every year [ 55 ].…”