Building for health? The construction managers of tomorrow

Abstract

Attitudes to health and health promotion have an impact on health-related behaviour. This is important when considering the different settings where health promotion can take place. The workplace is increasingly becoming recognised as an important setting for health promotion. Research has formerly concentrated on workplaces that are static, i.e. on one site; however, the greater challenge lies in the industries that have transient populations, such as the construction industry. High levels of accidents and ill health have long been synonymous with the construction industry and yet there has been limited research carried out into attitudes to health and the extent of health promotion activities within the industry. The aim of this research was to investigate the attitudes, beliefs and knowledge to health and health promotion of final year students who will graduate to work as construction managers. The students that participated in the study had had the experience of both university and a year-long placement within the industry. The method used for data collection was semi-structured, face-to-face interviews. Students from the BSc (Hons) Building and Construction Management courses were invited for interviews and a response rate of 85% was achieved. Results revealed that the students were aware of factors that influenced health, but tended to focus on health-related behaviours. This attitude influenced the measures they suggested to promote health in the workplace. The students’ knowledge of health within the construction industry was disappointing. Work experience in the industry had exposed them to various sources of health information, but little action was taken to involve employees and structural issues limited the effectiveness of this information. Policy development in the construction industry appeared to rely on disciplinary procedures with an emphasis being placed on employees signing declarations after receiving the information. The conclusion of this research was that attitudes to health are dominated by the structures within the organisation, with those paid on an hourly basis being less likely to participate in workplace health promotion. The information provided to site workers is limited in its approach and application. The impact of employment structure and the work environment presents a challenge to promoting health in this environment.