The Role of Building Construction Project Planning in Accommodating Ergonomic Considerations of the Aging Workforce

The construction industry has long experienced a shortage of skilled labor. This paper is intended to identify ergonomic problems that foreshorten older workers’ involvement in the industry in order to address the shortage of new workers and an exodus of often injured old ones. Challenges exist to attracting workers. These include resistance to technologies, tasks that must be performed by hand, mandatory lifting in excess of recommended limits, need for repetitive motions, existence of irregular and hazardous surfaces, noise levels exceeding safe limits, exposure of workers to vibration, frequent dust, and inadequate lighting, use of building materials that cause skin irritation, need to work in inclement weather, and work schedules that cause disruption to circadian rhythm. This study shows management must plan for older workers’ ergonomic needs, starting by creating site-specific plans more broadly focused on workers’ wellbeing than are safety plans, to extend older workers’ involvement in the field.