Why construction
BACKGROUND TO THE INDUSTRY
Nearly 13 million people officially work in the EU construction industry and possibly many more.
- The EU construction industry is estimated to be worth €902 billion a year. [i]
- Officially, there are 12.7 million employees in the sector, equivalent to 7.9% of the EU total workforce. [ii] The true number, however, is likely to be substantially higher as it is estimated that a significant proportion of the labour force in construction is undeclared in the industry. According to the European Commission [iii] 7%–19% of all work in the EU is undeclared and the problem is believed to be particularly acute in construction. [iv]
- 47% of all construction workers work in businesses with fewer than 10 staff (EU average 36%). [v]
HEALTH IMPACTS
The construction sector has one of the worst safety and health records in the EU.
Risk of accidents is much higher than EU average
- The relative incidence of non-fatal accidents is 141, compared to an EU industry average of 100. Falling from heights, such as scaffolding, is one of the biggest problems, along with accidents involving transport, both on and off site. [vi]
- Nearly 850,000 construction workers suffered accidents that entailed over 3 days loss of work in 1999, a 13% decline relative to 1994. [vii]
- Around 1,300 workers are killed each year, equivalent to 13 employees out of every 100,000 [viii] – more than twice the average of other sectors. Research has shown that many construction fatalities and accidents are due to planning decisions taken before any building work starts.
- In the 10 acceding countries, it is estimated that construction accounts for 20% of all work-related accidents. [ix]
Incidence of musculoskeletal disorders is significantly above EU average
- 48% of construction workers report backache (EU average: 33%).
- 36% claim muscular problems in the neck and shoulders (EU average: 23%).
- 28% complain of upper limbs muscular problems (EU average: 13%).
- 23% report lower limbs muscular problems (EU average: 12%). [x]
Respiratory problems are widespread, not least due to asbestos
- 600,000 construction workers are exposed to asbestos each year, [xi] a potent carcinogen that causes fatal diseases such as mesothelioma and asbestosis. Smokers who inhale asbestos are much more likely to develop lung cancer. In the UK, around 750 construction and maintenance workers die from asbestos-related diseases each year. This figure is expected to rise considerably over the next decade. [xii]
- Carpenters have an elevated risk of contracting nasal cancer as a result of breathing in wood dust.
- Dust generated from cutting or handling crystalline silica-based products, such as sand, can lead to silicosis, a respiratory difficulty.
Solvents and other dangerous substances heighten employees’ health risks
- Frequent contact with liquid-based substances, such as oils, resins and cement-based products containing Chromium VI, exacerbate the likelihood of skin problems. During the construction of the Channel Tunnel, over a quarter of the 1,134 workers were diagnosed with occupational dermatitis. [xiii]
- Studies have shown an increased risk of early retirement among painters and floor layers due to ‘solvent syndrome’ (the neuro-psychiatric symptoms associated with excessive exposure to organic solvents, such as glycol ethers and esters). These symptoms can include memory loss, severe fatigue and other problems of the central nervous system.
Other risks that construction workers face
- Excessive contact with lead – for example when removing lead-based paints and working with old lead piping – can damage the central nervous system, producing nausea, headaches, tiredness and other symptoms.
- High noise levels increase the risk of hearing difficulties. Nearly one-in-five employees in the sector (17%) are permanently exposed to high levels of noise and over half (53%) for part of the time. [xiv]
- Hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) is common among staff using hand-operated power tools, such as drills and mechanised hammers. 19% of construction employees in the EU are exposed permanently to vibrations, and 54% for some of the time. [xv]
FINANCIAL COSTS
Poor OSH standards in construction could cost the EU – and its taxpayers – over €75 billion each year. Or almost €200 for each member of the population.
Quantifying the cost of low OSH standards in the construction industry is difficult, not least due to the problems of estimating the true size of the sector, especially in view of the potentially significant proportion of unregistered employees. To compound these uncertainties, it is likely that a sizeable proportion of OSH problems are not reported as many of the firms are small and might be operating ‘outside the official system’. As a result, any estimates of costs are likely to under-state the true financial impact:
- A UK study estimated that costs of occupational accidents and ill-health in the construction sector – including the costs of delays, absenteeism and health and insurance charges, among others – accounted for 8.5% of project costs. [xvi]
- Assuming the UK estimates holds true in the EU as whole, where construction is believed to be a €902 billion industry, [xvii] this would equate to a cost of nearly €75 billion a year – or almost €200 for every member of the EU population.
- As public sector projects account for a large share of construction costs in most countries, tax payers will be shouldering much of the cost.
[ii] Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, Labour Force Survey 2002
[iii] European Commission, Communication on Undeclared Work, COM (98) 219, Luxembourg, Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 1998b.
[iv] Mateman, S. & Rencoy, P.H., Undeclared Labour in Europe –Towards an integrated approach of combating undeclared labour, Amsterdam, 2001.
[v] Paoli, Pascal & Merllié, Damien, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, Third European survey on working conditions 2000, Luxembourg Office for Official Publications, 2001.
[vi] Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, Accidents at Work in the EU, 1998-1999, ISSN 1024-4352
[vii] ibid., Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities.
[viii] ibid., Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities.
[ix] International Labor Organization, Yearbook of Labour Statistics, 2003, ISBN 92-2-014184-1
[x] Paoli, Pascal & Merllié, Damien, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, Third European survey on working conditions 2000, Luxembourg Office for Official Publications, 2001.
[xi] Occupational exposure to carcinogens in the European Union 1990–93, Carex, International information system on occupational exposure to carcinogens, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki 1998.
[xiii] Occupational Medicine, Vol 44, Issue 1 17-23 http://occmed.oupjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/44/1/17
[xiv] Paoli, Pascal & Merllié, Damien, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, Third European survey on working conditions 2000, Luxembourg Office for Official Publications 2001.
[xv] Paoli, Pascal & Merllié, Damien, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, Third European survey on working conditions 2000, Luxembourg Office for Official Publications 2001.
[xvi] Health and Safety Executive, Great Britain, The costs of accidents at work, HSG96, 1997. ISBN 0 7176 1343 7
