Sleep deprivation is a critical issue that affects workers in numerous industries, including construction. It adversely affects workers and can lead to significant concerns regarding their health, safety, and overall job performance. Several studies have investigated the effects of sleep deprivation on safety and productivity. Although the impact of sleep deprivation on safety and productivity through cognitive impairment has been investigated, research on the association of sleep deprivation and contributing factors that lead to workplace hazards and injuries remains limited. To fill this gap in the literature, this study utilized machine learning algorithms to predict hazardous situations. Furthermore, this study demonstrates the applicability of machine learning algorithms, including support vector machine and random forest, by predicting sleep deprivation in construction workers based on responses from 240 construction workers, identifying seven primary indices as predictive factors. The findings indicate that the support vector machine algorithm produced superior sleep deprivation prediction outcomes during the validation process. The study findings offer significant benefits to stakeholders in the construction industry, particularly project and safety managers. By enabling the implementation of targeted interventions, these insights can help reduce accidents and improve workplace safety through the timely and accurate prediction of sleep deprivation.

UNASSIGNED: Carpal tunnel syndrome is characterized by symptoms such as pain, numbness, or tingling on the anterior surface of the index, middle, or radial half of the ring finger, which is frequently associated with weakness of hand grip, and nocturnal pain and/or numbness resulting from compression of the median nerve at the carpal tunnel between the carpal bones and the transverse ligament. The construction industry involves many activities aside from the building process, such as landscaping, painting, electrical supply, plastering, paving, and telecommunications. Performing such tasks involves repetition of wrist flexion and extension, forceful grip with the hand, and/or vibrations of the hand and arm. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome and its associated risk factors among construction workers.
UNASSIGNED: An institutional-based cross-sectional study design was conducted among six construction sectors in Gondar from April to July 2021. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was prepared from the literature with a Katz hand diagram, and a physical examination and a special test (carpal compression test, Phalen\'s, and Tinel\'s test) were carried out for those participants who reported pain during the interview. Binary logistic regression was conducted with SPSS 25 to identify the associated risk factors for carpal tunnel syndrome. The strength of the association was detected by the adjusted odds ratio.
UNASSIGNED: A total of 333 study participants aged 18-70 years were included in this study. Among the participants, 11.7% (AOR: 95%CI: 8.1-15.3) had carpal tunnel syndrome. Age, cigarette smoking, work experience, and working with finger-pressing tools were risk factors significantly associated with carpal tunnel syndrome among construction workers with a p-value of <0.05.
UNASSIGNED: The magnitude of carpal tunnel syndrome was 11.7% among construction workers. Being of older age, having more experience, cigarette smoking, and working with finger-pressing tools were risk factors significantly associated with carpal tunnel syndrome among construction workers. Employers should implement work safety education programs that raise awareness about the risks of cigarette smoking and encourage employers and supervisors to seek early medical intervention and treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome before it becomes a chronic problem.

A questionnaire survey and an event-related potential (ERP) experiment were used to reveal the impact of safety attitudes on risk perception. The results revealed that during hazard identification, the N130 amplitude of subjects with negative safety attitude was significantly higher, which implied that subjects with negative safety attitude were more likely to feel confused. During risk analysis, subjects with positive safety attitude were more inclined to overestimate the probability and damage degree of risks; subjects with positive safety attitudes displayed higher P150 and late positive potential amplitudes, which indicated that subjects with positive safety attitudes devoted more attention to risks in the early stage of risk analysis and had a more intense affective response in the later period. The risk judgment ability of subjects with positive safety attitude was affected by time pressure, and they exhibited higher risk judgment accuracy only under no time pressure.

The COVID-19 pandemic posed a major challenge for construction companies, which were confronted with the need to prevent the enormous negative socio-psychological impact of the pandemic on their employees. The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of psychological distress among construction workers in an advanced phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Andalusia, southern Spain. For this, a cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted using online questionnaires with data on sociodemographic variables and employment situation, COVID-19 pandemic-related data, and Goldberg\'s General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). A total of 860 questionnaires from all provinces of Andalusia, Spain, were collected between March and May 2022. Descriptive statistical analyses and non-parametric Mann-Whitney U and Chi-squared tests were performed, followed by logistic regression analysis. The incidence of psychological distress was higher among women, individuals under 43 years of age, those with a family income below EUR 1200, participants whose working conditions had been affected by the pandemic, those who had not received adequate means or specific training to protect themselves from infection, those who had experienced symptoms, those who had suffered side effects after vaccination, and those who had been hospitalised. The logistic regression analysis predicted the occurrence of psychological distress in this study by the effect of the pandemic on mental/emotional well-being, the working conditions affected during the pandemic, health-related variables, and the age of the worker. The correctly classified percentage was 75.1%. Assessing psychological distress in construction sectors may allow for the identification of vulnerable groups or even help to reduce the number of errors in daily practice and potential risks of occupational injury or illness.

BACKGROUND: Advancements in the modern construction industry have contributed to the development of a range of technology-based interventions to improve the safety behavior of front-line construction workers. Notwithstanding the extensive research on safety behavior, there is still a paucity of research on assessing technology interventions of safety behavior to provide an overview of their strengths and limitations. The present study aims to bridge this gap in the literature and identify the main trends of research.
METHODS: A systematic review and critical content analysis are adopted to capture an overview of the state of knowledge on safety behavior technologies. As a result of searching Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases in the period from Jan 2010 to Feb 2023, a total of 359 potential studies went through the systematic screening process and finally, 48 representative studies were selected followed by an assessment of the feasibility and applicability of the safety behavior technologies.
RESULTS: It was found that safety behavior technology is characterized by seven technologies including virtual-reality simulation (T1), eye-tracking technology (T2), prediction modeling of safety behavior (T3), computer-based training (T4), drone/sensor-based hazard monitoring (T5), vision-based behavior monitoring (T6), and real-time positioning (T7).
CONCLUSIONS: This research improves understanding of the status of safety behavior technologies and provides a critical review of their feasibility from the perspective of four assessment criteria including application, limitation, benefit, and feasibility.
CONCLUSIONS: The categorizations of technologies add value to the body of knowledge in terms of generic requirements for their implementation and adaptation on construction sites.

The aim of the study was to assess non-occupational and occupational exposure to bisphenol compounds in Finland. The participants were 151 non-occupationally exposed volunteers and 15 potentially exposed employees of a sewage-pipe relining company and a floor-coating company. The following chemicals were measured in the urine samples: bisphenol A (BPA), bisphenol F (BPF), bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE), bisphenol F diglycidyl ether (BFDGE), and the metabolites of the latter two [bisphenol A (2,3-dihydroxypropyl) glycidyl ether (BADGE·H2O), bisphenol A bis(2,3-dihydroxypropyl) ether (BADGE·2 H2O), bisphenol A (3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl) (2,3-dihydroxypropyl) ether (BADGE·HCl·H2O), bisphenol A (3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl) glycidyl ether (BADGE·HCl), and bisphenol A bis(3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl) ether (BADGE·2HCl) and bisphenol F bis(2,3-dihydroxypropyl) ether (BFDGE·2 H2O), and bisphenol F bis(3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl) ether (BFDGE·2HCl)]. BADGE and BFDGE were also measured in breathing zone air samples and hand-wipe samples of the sewage-pipe relining and floor-coating workers. Non-occupational exposure to BPA has decreased in Finland. The BPF level of the non-occupationally exposed was higher than the respective levels reported in the recent literature. BPA and BPF concentrations in the workers\' urine samples were in the same range as those in the corresponding concentrations of the non-occupationally exposed population. Higher concentrations of BADGE and BFDGE metabolites were found in some of the workers\' urine samples. Elevated urine concentrations were also observed in the samples collected the next morning. Some of the urinary BADGE and BFDGE metabolite results correlated with the hand-wipe results. The results show that occupational exposure to BADGE and BFDGE may occur in sewage-pipe relining and floor-coating work. They also indicate that dermal contamination plays a role in total exposure. Although the measured urinary levels indicate that the absorption of these bisphenol compounds are unlikely to pose a systemic health risk, the risk of dermal sensitization remains.

BACKGROUND: The construction industry in India heavily relies on unorganized workers, who often lack adequate access to safety measures, placing them at significant risk of accidents and injuries. The objective was to determine risk perceptions of construction workers, and explore their safety practices, facilitators, and barriers.
METHODS: A mixed-methods approach with a convergent parallel design (QUAN + qual) was undertaken. Quantitative strand included face-to-face interviews with 203 randomly selected building construction workers from 10 construction sites in five selected municipal wards in Kolkata. Questions pertained to socio-demographics, occupational characteristics, risk perception, and safety practices. The qualitative arm involved key informant interviews to unravel the facilitators and barriers affecting safety practices and nonparticipant observation.
RESULTS: The perceived risk for respiratory problems due to dust, pain from carrying loads, slips, trips or falls, and heat-related illnesses was in the medium- to high category for 64.0%, 58.6%, 39.9%, and 36.5% of the study participants, respectively. However, the safety practices for these respective domains were in the good practice category for 6.9%, 4.9%, 54.2%, and 34.5% of the workers. From the qualitative arm, it was evident that availability of PPE, a conducive environment, and availability of worker-friendly technology could be important predictors of safety practices. Barriers such as time constraints and feasibility due to discomfort and expenditure were also identified.
CONCLUSIONS: Despite high-risk perception, safety practices were not consistently good among construction workers. Further research is crucial to enhance the health and safety of unorganized workers in India.

BACKGROUND: Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) may pose health risks to workers. Objectives were to characterize ENM applications in construction, identify exposure scenarios, and evaluate the quality of safety data sheets (SDSs) for nano-enabled construction products.
METHODS: SDSs and product data were obtained from a public database of nano-enabled construction products. Descriptive statistics were calculated for affected trades, product categories, and types of ENMs. A sample of SDSs (n = 33) was evaluated using modified criteria developed by NIOSH researchers. Bulk analysis via transmission electron microscopy characterized nanoparticles in a subset of products.
RESULTS: Companies report using >50 ENMs in construction products. ENM composition could not be determined via SDSs for 38.1% of the 907 products examined. Polymers and metal oxides tied for most frequently reported ENMs (n = 87, 9.6%). Nano silica, graphene, carbon nanotubes, and silver nanoparticles were also frequently reported. Most of the products were paints and coatings (n = 483, 53.3%), followed by pre-market additives, cementitious materials, insulation, and lubricants. Workers in twenty construction trades are likely to handle nano-enabled products, these particularly encompass cement and brick masons, painters, laborers, carpenters, glaziers, and insulators. A wide range of exposure scenarios were identified. SDSs were classified as satisfactory (18%), in need of improvement (12%), or in need of significant improvement (70%). Bulk analyses revealed discrepancies between actual ENM composition and those in SDSs.
CONCLUSIONS: There has been significant progress investigating risks to construction workers posed by ENMs, but SDSs need major improvements. This study provides new insights on the use of ENMs in construction, exposure risks, and hazard communication.

UNASSIGNED: Construction laborers succumb to poor health due to the inherent workplace health hazards and poor socio-economic living conditions. With rising healthcare expenses, the increased risk of poor health may aggravate their economic status, pushing them deeper into poverty.
UNASSIGNED: The current cross-sectional multicenter study comprehensively investigated the determinants of health, health-seeking behavior, and poor economic impact regarding catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) among construction laborers.
UNASSIGNED: We collected details on illnesses among self and family members of the construction laborers that required healthcare visits during the previous year and their approximate expenses. Among the 1110 participants with complete data, 37% reported illness requiring a healthcare visit either for self or a family member.
UNASSIGNED: Regression models to ascertain demographic and living condition determinants of perceived illness revealed an increased risk of illness when the kitchen is shared with the living space (OR = 1.87) and use unhygienic smoky cooking fuels (OR = 1.87). More than 25% of those who reported illness incurred CHE.
UNASSIGNED: We conclude that the frequency of perceived illness and the economic impact, i.e., CHE is relatively higher among the construction laborers. Our results demonstrate that poor living conditions add to the burden of morbidity in construction workers and families. Providing healthcare coverage for this population and engaging and educating them about affordable healthcare are necessary future steps to prevent the worsening of the economic situation.

There are a few existing gaps and paucity of literature from Southeast Asia on the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections among migrant construction workers. The present cross-sectional study was conducted to address this gap among migrant construction workers and their households in Bhopal. The study design included an interview questionnaire survey prior to the enrollment of participants and stool sample collection. The stool samples were processed according to the study protocol of macroscopy, occult blood testing, microscopy techniques combined with modified acid-fast, and sedimentation techniques. Participants were deemed positive if they exhibited microscopic findings in one out of three stool samples per recruit. We recommended clinical consultation for these cases and provided a report. Direct therapeutic intervention was not part of the study. The total recruits were 361. The predominant age group was young, i.e., aged 21 to 30 years (122/361, 33.8%), with the majority of females (55.2%). Most workers were occupied with work of digging soil (47.4%). The majority of participants (93.1%) practiced open field defecation (OFD). The prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections among migrant workers and households was 36.9% (133/361). Monoinfection was 88.7%, with 41% from Entamoeba histolytica/Entamoeba dispar. Monoinfection with Hymenolepis nana (10.2%) was a predominant helminth. The most common coinfection observed was of Giardia intestinalis with Ancylostoma duodenale (26.7%). Hand washing was the only independent predictor with an odds ratio of 3.6. Migrant behavior of the construction workers and their households was the major reason for not reaching the benefits of deworming schemes for children and vulnerability to intestinal parasitic infections.