1.0 Introduction
1.1 Background of the Study
Construction workers have high injury rates and construction work by its very nature is difficult. This could be because of working above the shoulder and below the knees level, and also building materials are heavy. Mcintos (2001) in Abdulahi (2012) declare that working in the construction industry has been identified as a risk factor for chronic disability. Every year many construction site workers are killed or injured as a result of their work; others suffer ill health, such as musculoskeletal disorders (Health and Safety Executives, 2006).
According to Muhammed (2014) occupational health and safety in construction is about preventing people from being injured at work or becoming ill through appropriate precautions and providing a satisfactory working environment. Health and safety is about identifying risk and eliminating or controlling factors to prevent accident and occupational ill-health (European Commission, 2011).
Health and safety is an inevitable aspect of construction because the only time an employee will perform his duties is when the employee is in good health and is sure of a safe working environment. Any rational worker or employee will perform his or her duty diligently when he knows that even in case of an injury or accident he will be taking care of. One of the efforts in trying to prevent occupational hazard in construction is ergonomics. Al-Swaity and Enshassi (2012) assert that ergonomics is one of the procedures that eliminate the hazards and risk in the construction industry.
Ergonomics produces and integrates knowledge from the human sciences to match jobs, systems, products and environments to the physical and mental abilities and limitations.
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