Risk Factors for Musculoskeletal Symptoms of Construction Workers: A Systematic Literature Review
Abstract
Construction jobs are known among occupations with high risk of musculoskeletal disorders. An effective intervention should be then developed to minimize the risk of the disorders. Previous studies have reported a number of risk factors including extreme temperature, awkward posture, repetition, vibration, static loading, contact stress, and force. However, the results seem inconclusive, due to lack of evidence reported. The purpose of this research is to review the literature systematically that reported evidence of risk factors for musculoskeletal symptoms in construction jobs. The following search engine were utilized: Pubmed, Web of Science, Science Direct, and Taylor and Francis Online. A total of 1204 abstracts were screened. The results
indicated that 15 studies met the selection criteria and were therefore considered for review. Significant risk factors with strong evidence (p < 0.001 or OR > 3) in developing musculoskeletal symptoms for construction jobs included age, race, years of experience, occupational stress, working hours/day, high physical workload,
awkward posture, psychological demands and mental workload, physical strength, fast work pace, manual handling, working against force or vibration, effort, working in hot/cold/humid conditions, organizational, performance, social, performance, and perceived risk. This study will enhance the awareness for the construction industry in developing risk factors that occur in the field. In terms of research method, we
found most of the researches were performed cross-sectionally, using subjective measurement [self-reported] in collecting the data. Therefore, longitudinal study and mixed method between subjective and objective may use to measure the risk factors and musculoskeletal symptoms in future research.
Keywords: risk factors, musculoskeletal symptoms, construction jobs
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