Project Title:

Safety of Older Workers in the Philippine Construction Industry: A Labor Policy Development

SDGs Addressed:

SDG1: No Poverty

SDG8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

SDG10: Reduced Inequalities

SDG16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

SDG17: Partnerships for the Goals

Project Abstract:

Construction work is a dangerous job due to its hazardous environment. The older population in a
construction site is smaller compared to younger workers. Older workers (aged 45 and above) are more
experienced than younger workers, more often; and have already developed the needed skill set,
patience, and knowledge (Stalneker, 1998).

Recent researches showed that the older the workers are, their safety attitude and performance are
more positive and there are fewer accidents compared to younger workers (Hashiguchi et al., 2020; Siu
et al., 2003). However, studies also show that older construction workers have a lower ability to work
because of old age and health conditions (Hashiguchi et al., 2020). Hengel et al. (2012) reported that
though older construction workers are able to execute the work expected of them, they have the
hesitation to continue because there is a lack of support from younger colleagues and management.
Furthermore, formal programs for safety do not state that an older worker be given less vigorous and
physically demanding jobs but it is solely on the management's decision if a provision will be
implemented for the welfare of older workers.

Following this, there is the need to bring up the issue of the aging workforce and also the support they
need to receive while working on the construction site. Hengel et al. (2012) showed that lower social
support from supervisors and management leads to higher willingness for older workers to leave work
and a qualitative approach will be able to provide an in-depth reasoning for the mentioned result. It is
vital to answer the how and why of the previous researches. In line with that, both qualitative and
quantitative approaches can provide the reasons from a perspective that mentioned researches did not
explore, that is, the perspective of the co-workers and managers towards the older workers. The study
will also be able to answer what younger co-workers and managers think about the safety attitude of
the older construction workers. It will also provide reasoning on how younger workers view the work of
their older counterparts in the construction site in terms of efficiency.

The expected findings will be used to develop guidelines and provisions for the safety and welfare of
older workers in a construction site. It is expected to help the construction engineering and
management sector of the Philippines on how to value the craftsmanship and experience of older
workers without forfeiting their safety, health issues, and proficiency. The safety of every worker, young
and old, is the responsibility of everyone on a construction site, and it is unfounded that there should be
negative bias against the safety of construction workers due to their age, hindering them from their
craft.
Research Objectives:

The project study aims to explore the safety attitude of older workers from the perspective of younger
workers and their managers using both qualitative and quantitative approach; and to develop a policy
that will raise the welfare of older workers. Its objectives are:

To discover how older workers are treated in a construction site compared to younger workers;

To determine the potential reasons why older workers continue or stop working with regards to their
workplace environment;

To find out how younger workers react to the actions and safety concerns of older workers during a
laborious task together; and,

To learn how managers handle the safety concerns of older workers in the site.

To develop a stable labor system for the older construction workers to protect their interest and job in
the industry based on the data gathered.

Identification of Issues

Analysis

Policy Formulation