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Ergonomics in construction Environmental health.

This article was written by Ryan Meeks, a Chartered Ergonomist and Human Factors Specialist based in Bristol. Headroom.

Health and safety.

Ergonomics is a branch of science related to the design of workplaces, products and systems to best fit those who use them.
The term is derived from two Greek words, ‘ergon’ meaning work, and ‘nomos’ meaning laws.

It can be used interchangeably with ‘human factors’, although ergonomics has more relevance to the environment’s physical
aspects, such as workstations and control panels, whereas human factors has relevance to wider socio-technical systems in
which people work and the cognitive aspects concerned with human performance.

The Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors (CIEHF) is the UK body representing ergonomics.

The aim of effective ergonomics is to apply learning about human abilities and limitations to improve interaction with
environments and products, and prevent or limit the risk of illness or injury.

Ergonomists work across and use data and techniques from several different disciplines, such as: Pdf document note icon in…
Anthropometry: Body sizes, shapes, variations. Download
Biomechanics: Muscles, levers, forces, strength.
Environmental physics: Light, heat, noise, radiation, cold, vision, and so on.
Applied psychology: Learning, errors, differences.
Social psychology: Group behaviour, communication.

Ergonomics can help address the physical and environmental stresses that might be associated with an activity:

Physical stresses might include repetitive motions, vibration, or working in awkward positions, and so on.
Environmental stresses might include indoor air quality, excessive noise or improper lighting, which may induce
conditions such as ‘sick building syndrome’.
Cognitive stresses might include situational awareness, high cognitive workload, complex decision-making processes,
attention and communication, and so on.

Ergonomics is particularly relevant in the workplace, where activities may be repeated frequently, of positions maintained for
a long period of time. Studies have shown that poor ergonomics is likely to result in a loss of worker productivity, higher rates
of lost work days through illness, a lack of staff morale and motivation, and increase employee turnover.

A great deal of research attention is given to the layout of workstations and the design of, and relationship between, chairs,
desks, screens and keyboards, and so on. This is because of the risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) such
as carpal tunnel syndrome which affect nerves, tendons and muscles, predominantly in the arms, hands and wrists, as a Featured articles and news
result of repetitive motion and strain.

The Red House in Aldeburgh

As construction is a physically demanding work environment, site workers are often at risk of long-term injury. Back sprains
and strains are the most common disabling injuries, often due to overexertion and bodily motion.

The table lists some of the most common risks facing construction workers and the ergonomic solutions.

TYPE OF WORK RISK ERGONOMIC DESIGN SOLUTION


Tasks that involve low work, such as
using factory tools, tying rebar, hand
screeding concrete.
Work that involves repetitive
kneeling.
Bending and twisting body during
masonry or roofing work.
Overhead drilling work.
Lifting heavy blocks.
Lifting large windows and sheet ma-
terials.
Using hand-held power tools that
produce a lot of vibration.
Sitting at an office desk for long peri-
ods of time.
More detailed information is available in NIOSH’s guidelines ‘Simple Solutions: Ergonomics for construction workers’.
--Ryan Meeks
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Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
Require repetitive bending, kneeling
and squatting. Can cause fatigue,
pain and injury.
Kneeling on a hard surface puts a lot
of direct pressure on knees. Working
in kneeling positions for long periods
of time can lead to problems such as
knee osteoarthritis.
Frequent stooping causes fatigue
and puts stress on lower back, in-
creasing chance of injury. Risk of in-
jury also high if twisting quickly, es-
pecially when handling heavy
objects.
Long periods of keeping arms and
neck in fixed, hard-to-hold positions
can lead to serious muscle or joint
injuries.
Can cause fatigue and strain, may
lead to injury.
Puts stress on back and shoulders.
Injuries can be more serious when
having to work in awkward positions
or holding materials for long periods
of time. Manual placing can also lead
to hand injuries.
After long periods of exposure ‘white
finger’ can develop or ‘hand-arm vi-
bration syndrome’ (HAVS).
Can result in repetitive strain injuries
such as carpal tunnel syndrome.
The historic home of Benjamin Britten and Peter
Auto-feed screw guns with exten-
Pears.
sion, motorised screeds, rebar-tying
tools, all enable the worker to stand
upright while operating. The Natural Stone Source Book 23/24 published
Portable kneeling creeper with chest
support reduces stress to knees, an-
kles and lower back.
Split-level adjustable scaffolding al-
lows for less stooping because the
materials and work surface are kept Members and case studies, inspirational and
near waist-height which is more com- educational.
fortable and stresses the body less.
Project Controls in the 21st Century
Bit extension shaft for drill or screw
gun so it can be held below shoulder
and closer to the waist.
Lightweight concrete blocks weigh
considerably less than solid blocks
and can be carried easier.
Vacuum lifters can be used, which An APM and AcostE collaboration.
attach to windows and flat panels
and remove the need for manual
handling. A circular economy in the built environment
publication
Reduced vibration power tools are
designed to produce less vibration.
Use along with anti-vibration gloves.
Maintain comfortable height and dis-
tance from desk and screen.
Adjustable desks are available that
allow a person to use it from a stand-
ing position. Ergonomically designed
computer equipment is also
available. Supporting transition through shared
understanding.
Building up Ireland
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 Aesthetics and architecture. Short to long-term challenge insights and
Anthropometrics in architectural design.
recommendations.
Building pathology.
Building related illness.
Construction dust.
Environmental health. Firestopping of service penetrations
Headroom.
Health and safety.
Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
Health and safety consultant.
Health and Safety Executive.
Heat stress.
Human centric.
Human comfort in buildings.
Lighting of construction sites.
Manual handling.
Personal protective equipment.
Scale.
Sick building syndrome.
Wellbeing.
Work at height regulations.

External references

Ergonomics.org - What is ergonomics?

Ergo-plus - Workplace ergonomics

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