Ironworkers: physiological demands during construction work

摘要

Construction craft work is a physically strenuous and demanding occupation. Physically demanding work leads to physical fatigue which is associated with decreased productivity. Early attempts to investigate the physical demands of construction work date back to the 1950s and were based on principles from work physiology. The work and workforce have changed since the 1950s warranting an investigation of today's construction work performed by today's construction workforce. This paper investigates the physical demands of construction ironworkers. Physiological measures of energy expenditure, including oxygen consumption and heart rate data, were collected for 7 ironworkers performing a total of 10 actual construction activities. The results indicate that these construction workers routinely exceed one or more published guidelines for acceptable levels of energy expenditure, oxygen consumption, and heart rate. The methods described in this paper have wide applications in identifying excessively demanding construction tasks so the work can be modified to accommodate the abilities of all workers, to reduce physical demands and resulting physical fatigue.