WUSTL Project Subject of Game-Changing Worker Health Study
Date Posted: February 22, 2016
Posted In: Ideas,
From Washington University: Suck it up. When it comes to chronic injuries, that’s been the mantra in the macho, male-dominated, highly competitive culture of commercial construction. However, industry experts and younger generations of construction workers are realizing that attitudes and behaviors must change for safety to improve.
The sector has made major strides in reducing acute injuries from construction-site accidents. Less attention has been placed on preventing musculoskeletal injuries caused by force, repetition, awkward posture and overexertion. The costs are great, both to the company and the individual.
Such injuries make workers less effective, potentially more dangerous, and often result in prolonged absences and early retirement.
Is it possible to modify these physically demanding jobs? And, if so, what’s the most effective way to reach millions of front-line workers?
As it turns out, St. Louis is the perfect backdrop to find the answers; it is home not only to offices of the safety-conscious Clayco, a national innovator in the design-build industry, but also to School of Medicine occupational health experts who are among a handful of researchers worldwide dedicated to measuring and improving the safety climate in construction.
Together, the medical school team and Clayco won a $1 million, five-year grant from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health and the CPWR Center for Construction Research and Training. Through this, an on-campus building project is serving as a research lab of a different sort.