Documents work on roofs 7 results

"Objectives This study investigated the relationships between work demands, chronic medical and musculoskeletal conditions, aging, and the ability to remain on the job in a longitudinal study of 979 construction roofers between the ages of 40 and 59 years.Methods In a phone interview at baseline and 1 year later, the participants were asked about the presence of medical conditions and musculoskeletal disorders, work limitations and work accommodations, and social and economic functioning.Results Among the workers for whom a musculoskeletal disorder was their most serious condition at baseline, 8% left roofing due to a health condition during the first year of follow-up. A comparison between those who left and those who stayed identified older age and lower physical functioning as statistically significant predictors of leaving the trade. Workers with a musculoskeletal disorder and who, in the baseline interview, reported receiving some type of job accommodation for their musculoskeletal disorder had an odds ratio of 0.24 (P=0.07) for leaving work by the time of the 1-year follow-up when compared with workers with a musculoskeletal disorder and no job accommodation. The workers with three or more work limitations were also more likely to leave roofing, but this association disappeared after adjustment for other factors.Conclusions Musculoskeletal conditions among roofers are strongly associated with work limitation, missed work, and reduced physical functioning, factors that are predictive of premature departure from the workforce. Job accommodation was provided for 31% of the roofers with a musculoskeletal disorder, and it was associated with a reduced likelihood of subsequently leaving roofing for health-related reasons."

Work-related falls from roofs remain a significant problem for workers in the construction industry. Knowledge about the main causative or initiating factors leading to fall incidents is desperately needed for fall prevention intervention. From biomechanical and psychophysiological perspectives the majority of occupational falls, including falls from roofs, can be regarded as loss-of-balance incidents. The primary objective of this paper is to summarize the current knowledge from multiple fields about factors that are related to the control of balance during roofing work. An extensive literature review identified a number of environmental, task-related and personal factors that degrade the control of balance and could be associated with the initiation of falls from roofs. These factors include visual exposure to elevation; unstable visual cues and inadequate visual information in the work environment; 'confined' and inclined support surfaces; unexpected changes in roof surface properties; load handling; physical exertion; fatigue; task complexity that diverts workers' attention; individual differences; work experience and training; and personal protective equipment. Current measures to reduce falls from roofs focus mainly on fall protection procedures, such as the use of covers, guardrails, safety nets, and personal fall arrest systems, or the application of warning-line systems, safety monitoring systems, and fall protection plans. In many instances, these procedures are not practical for the industry and current regulations allow the use of alternative means of fall protection, such as slide guards. Future research on preventing falls from roofs should consider the main effects and interactions of the environmental, task-related and personal factors that affect the balance control of workers. Research-supported improvements in the visual and physical characteristics of the roof work environment, the construction materials and methods, and work procedures and practices may result in improved workers' balance control as well as overall safety performance, and would ultimately reduce incidents of falling from a roof.

"Background. To assess the intersection of work demands, chronic medical and musculoskeletal conditions, aging, and disability, we initiated a longitudinal study of construction roofers who were current union members between the ages of 40 and 59.Methods. Participants were asked about the presence of medical conditions and musculoskeletal disorders; the Work Limitations Questionnaire, the SF-12, and other validated assessments of social and economic impact of injury were included.
Results. Factors at baseline that predicted leaving for a health-related reason were older age, lower physical functioning, work limitations, and having missed work. Those who left roofing for a health-related reason were much more likely to have a lower economic score at the 1 year interview.
Conclusions. Medical and musculoskeletal conditions are strongly associated with work limitation, missed work, and reduced physical functioning; these factors are also associated with premature departure from the workforce."

"Ce nouveau Guide, publié en 6 langues (DE, DK, EN, ES, FR, IT), est destiné à aider les entreprises du secteur, et plus particulièrement les petites et moyennes entreprises ainsi que leurs collaborateurs, en les sensibilisant aux risques d'accidents du travail et en promouvant une culture d'entreprise dans le domaine de la santé et de la sécurité, afin de contribuer à la diminution des accidents.
Cette dernière initiative des partenaires sociaux a pour objet de donner aux différents acteurs du secteur de la construction des exemples pertinents démontrant qu'une application efficace des principes de la directive sur les chantiers de construction mobiles (directive 92/57/CEE du 24 juin 1992) peut contribuer à réduire le nombre d'accidents du travail. La réalisation et l'impression du Guide ont été rendues possible grâce à l'Agence européenne pour la santé et la sécurité au travail.
Le Guide énonce une série de stratégies pour une coordination efficace de la sécurité sur les chantiers de construction ainsi que des mesures pratiques destinées à prévenir certaines situations de travail spécifiques. Il est basé sur des textes, des photos et des diagrammes afin d'assurer une meilleure clarté et être facilement consulté sur les chantiers de construction. ... "

"This new guide, published in 6 languages (DE, DK, EN, ES, FR, IT) is aimed at assisting enterprises, especially SMEs, and their collaborators, in raising awareness of accident risks at work and in developing a health and safety culture in order to contribute to accident prevention.
This latest initiative of the European Social Partners aims at helping the various actors in the construction process implement more effectively the directive on mobile construction sites (Directive 92/57/EEC of 24 June 1992) and to consequently reduce the number of occupational accidents. The preparation and printing of the guide was funded by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (Bilbao).
The guide sets out a collection of strategies for successful coordination of safety on construction sites as well as practical prevention measures for specific work situations. It is based on texts, photos and diagrammes, in order to ensure a high degree of clarity and is also convenient for use in day-to-day activities on construction sites."