97% of builders report discomfort or pain at work

One hundred builders took part in a Wall of Pain survey, conducted by the Construction Health and Safety NZ (CHASNZ) Ergonomics Team, at the 2021 New Zealand Certified Builders Conference and Expo. Builders were asked “Do you have any current discomfort, pain, or injury?” and then had to indicate where on their body they experienced the problem by placing a dot on the affected body part (see photo). Builders struggling with pain

A staggering 97% of builders reported they had current discomfort, pain, or injury. Over 50% of these reports were for lower back problems, which was the site of most concern regardless of age. This shows lower back problems may be occurring earlier on in a builder’s career and many are managing the condition while still working. Other pain sites included: • Knees – 24 reports • Shoulders – 17 reports • Wrists – 11 reports • Neck – 10 reports • Elbows – 9 reports • Ankles – 4 reports CHASNZ’s Chris Polaczuk was surprised at the high incidence of pain amongst builders of all ages and stages of their careers. “Many builders reported more than one site of pain affecting them on a regular basis. Most people had developed long-term management strategies to continue working. Sadly, to some degree, the pain was viewed as a foregone conclusion to a career in building.” On a positive note, many builders viewed these problems as preventable. Rachel Brooke from CHASNZ reports; “I heard several older builders say, “If I knew then what I know now about building, I would have far fewer pain problems, which gives us hope we can pass these learnings onto our apprentices.”

Contributing factors

When builders were asked what they thought was contributing to their problems, several common themes emerged:

Physical factors: • Weight and design of tools – 8 mentions • Weight of tool belts – 12 mentions • Heavy manual handling and lack of equipment – 6 mentions • Footwear – 4 mentions

Individual factors: • Previous sports injury – 4 mentions • Poor fitness/core strength – 17 mentions Work organisation: • Lack of teamwork/working alone – 5 mentions • Lack of breaks – 5 mentions

Practical preventative measures used:

Using manual handling devices (eg: Gib lifter) 5 Keeping fit (eg: regular yoga) 15 Use of shoulder supports for tool belts 9 Change work boots every six months 4 Use of knee pads 3 Regular treatments (eg: chiropractic) 4 Warming up in the morning 5 Choice of tools 3

CHASNZ is working with NZCB to address strains and sprains in the industry. We’re looking for builders to participate in our current research project, which looks to identify what’s currently being done by builders to prevent these problems.

If you would like to contribute to this research, please contact Chris Polaczuk chrisp@chasnz.org or text 022 097 3144.

Psychosocial factors: • Stress of business – 4 mentions • Management support and care – 3 mentions

Chris Polaczuk , Programme Manager Ergonomics, Construction Health and Safety NZ (CHASNZ). CHASNZ, a charitable trust developed with the objective of improving the lives of construction workers by raising the standard of health and safety culture and performance across the construction industry in New Zealand. For more information visit www.chasnz.org