Construction – Work, Stress, and Health

An Expanded Conceptual Model for Research on Work, Safety, Health, and Well-being

November 13, 2021November 12, 2021

The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Center for Work, Health, & Well-being is a NIOSH Total Worker Health? Center of Excellence. Its mission is to protect and promote the safety, health, and well-being of workers through integrated workplace policies, programs, and practices that foster safe and healthy conditions of work. Building on its systems-level conceptual model centered on the conditions of work, the Center has expanded this model to include employment & labor patterns and the social/political/economic environment. The Center?s three unifying themes, informed by our conceptual model, provide a framework for setting priorities to ensure that our research and dissemination efforts make a difference in improving the conditions of work.

Using workers’ compensation systems to improve workplace safety and health

November 13, 2021November 12, 2021

The mission of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Center for Workers’ Compensation Studies (CWCS) is to maximize the use of workers’ compensation (WC) claims data and systems to improve workplace safety and health through partnerships. This poster presentation will describe recent and ongoing CWCS surveillance and research studies to achieve several key goals (see https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/workercomp/cwcs/publications.html).

NIOSH Chronic Disease Prevention Program: Expanding Partnerships to Prevent Occupational Disease

November 13, 2021November 12, 2021

This presentation provides information on the mission and function of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health?s (NIOSH?s) Cancer, Reproductive, Cardiovascular and Other Chronic Disease Prevention Program (CRC). The poster will describe current research priorities related to reducing and preventing occupational chronic diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease, renal diseases, and neurological diseases as well as adverse reproductive outcomes. Collaboration with researchers, labor unions, professional and trade associations, and others is critical to the CRC and this poster will help to promote partnerships external to NIOSH.

Work, Stress, and Construction Industry’s Health: Pandemic squeeze on already fragile workforce

November 13, 2021November 12, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the nation?s drug overdose epidemic with both forces significantly impacting the safety, health, and well-being of the construction workforce. Our program is engaged in developing strategies to stem the tide of overdose deaths and help the rising numbers of construction workers suffering from opioid misuse disorder and poor mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings informed a suite of communication and training interventions, communicating the big picture and systemic issues to construction decision-makers who can change conditions for the workforce. We are also reaching out to the people most affected, those who are struggling with mental health and substance misuse disorder.

Robotics Safety and Health Research at the NIOSH Center for Occupational Robotics Research

November 12, 2021November 12, 2021

Extensive research has been conducted by NIOSH and others on the safety of robots since they were first introduced to workplaces more than 40 years ago. However, this research focused on traditional robots that were isolated from human workers using guards, cages, or other controls. As robots have become more advanced, interactions with humans have become more common, and new ways of assessing and controlling the hazards associated with a robotic workplace are needed. The Center for Occupational Robotics Research (CORR) was established in 2017 as a virtual center within the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to work in partnership with other federal agencies, academic researchers, employers, and others to conduct research and disseminate guidance on the safety and health concerns of working around robots.

Wearable sensors: benefits and challenges for safety, stress, and health in the workplace

November 12, 2021November 12, 2021

Emanuele Cauda, PhD, NIOSH; John Snawder, PhD, NIOSH; Pramod Kulkarni, PhD, NIOSH Wearable sensor technologies (wearables) are a topic of great interest for the NIOSH Center for Direct Reading and Sensor Technologies (CDRST). The CDRST is one of the NIOSH National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA)Core and Specialty Programs. Wearables are used in several applications …

Increasing Safety of Construction Workers Through Robots: An Organizational Change Management Perspective

November 13, 2021November 12, 2021

The construction industry is slow to reform and change is often met with many barriers, even if the change includes clear safety advantages and potentially lifesaving measures (Fernie et al., 2006). Our research aims to develop a deeper understanding of (1) frontline workers? preparedness to work effectively and efficiently with robots on future construction sites and (2) the barriers and facilitators that organizational leadership has identified through their experiences on the construction site. To develop a deeper understanding of the specific challenges faced by the industry, we will hold interviews with a minimum of 20 frontline workers and members of organizational leadership. Data collection is underway and set to complete over the summer.

A Spanish Translation of Zohar and Luria’s Safety Climate Scale and a Test of Measurement Equivalence

November 13, 2021November 12, 2021

The purpose of this study is to provide a Spanish-language version of Zohar and Luria?s (Zohar & Luria, 2005) commonly-used safety climate scale using a rigorous translation-back translation process. Given the widespread use of the Spanish language across the globe and that as of 2020, 17.6% percent of the United States working population is Hispanic (BLS, 2021), there is a need for valid safety climate scales written in Spanish. This study demonstrates that a test of measurement equivalency can provide confidence of the translation process from one language to another. There is significant evidence supporting the reliability and validity of this safety climate scale.

Developing and Validating a Respectful Workplace Climate Scale with Construction Workers as Exemplar: A Total Worker Health Approach (Phase I)

November 13, 2021November 12, 2021

Our project aims to develop and validate a Respectful Workplace Climate Scale to support the goal of fostering, promoting, and measuring a respectful workplace culture and climate in the workplace. In order to develop a reliable and valid respectful climate scale, we will utilize a mixed methods approach with both qualitative and quantitative methods. The current study represents Phase I of the project, providing insight on this topic based on the literature review and analysis of 10 SME?s responses. The long-term goal of this project is to help companies build a respectful workplace by developing a psychometrically sound Respectful Workplace Climate Scale that they can use to gauge the status of respect in their workplaces and the progress of interventions implemented.