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Worker fatigue ‘a serious issue’ for construction

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Comments

  1. It is very refreshinging to that finally this issue is being taken seriously.

    I have seen first hand the effect
    Tha fatigue has on construction workers, the projects they are involved in and also the effect this has on the wellbeing of the workers themselves and their families.

    I am unfortunately of the opinion that left unchecked the consequences of this problem will affect the health and wellbeing of the workforce, productivity, quality and additional long term problems.

    Despite all the good work that has been done within the indudtry, unless workers health is put before programme schedules, we will still see this issue.

    I have recently conducted my own small survey using the HSE risk index and found the results worrying.

    At site level their is still a culture that is fearful to speak out, as the prospect of losing their job comes before the risk involved in the work they do.

    In my opinion, the only way this can be addressed is by awareness, supervision and senior management putting the health of workers before time constraints imposed on projects.
    In my experience, more projects are being awarded to the lowest tender, therefore the winning bidder is having to overlook certain aspect of health and wellbeing to complete the projects on time.

    It is great to see this issue being highlighted, but without all stakeholders being made aware of the issue, and making it clear to contractors that fatigue is detrimental to the its workforce and a realistic method to combat the problem integrated into policies, this will continue to be a priblem.

  2. Most of the workforce are made up from sub contractors, more often then not they are working to a really tight schedule. Management often ask these contractors to reduce their costs and the way this is normally acheived is to reduce labour, fatigue will set in because of the reduction in the workforce.
    The schedule remains the same for a short term until it is brought forward.
    Cost management and looming profit margins often put the workforce at risk of fatigue.
    Better planning, and communication, might reduce this but the common consensus is “just get on with it”.
    Maybe in time attitudes will change and a ballence will be found.

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