Occupational ergonomic issues in highway construction surveyed in Wisconsin, United States

This study discusses the workplace ergonomic issues in highway construction, and the safe work practices associated with the prevention of ergonomic-related injuries and illnesses in the construction field. In order to achieve the study objectives, a survey was designed and sent to Wisconsin based construction contractors. To design an adequate questionnaire, the research team first conducted a pilot study. The findings from the pilot survey provided a clear direction in creating the final survey. The survey results indicated that hand and ringer injuries due to cutting operations and back injuries due to the manual handling of heavy materials to be the most frequent construction task/injury combination. All of the construction firms surveyed had a safety program; however, most of the contractors did not have a site-specific ergonomics program. The construction workers were usually walking/working on the ground, ladder and scaffold, and spent significant amount of time for the manual lifting or carrying heavy materials. The findings from this study may assist safety and health professionals in the construction industry in making effective changes for improving health and productivity.