Study finds back pain levels of grave concern
Qld small builders 'have poor knowledge of self-regulation'
Small-scale, domestic building companies in Queensland have a poor understanding of the concepts of duty-of-care and self-regulation, a Worksafe-funded study reveals.
Chief investigator, Dr Claire Mayhew of Griffith University, Brisbane, says the twin concepts which arose from Robens-based legislation were not well accepted.
She describes misinformation about the relative responsibilities of contractors and sub-contractors as rife.
However, in areas where the State Government had been more active at grass roots level, thelegislation was better understood.
In areas where the influence of mining companies was stronger, she finds that OHS standards were enhanced.
"In high-growth population areas, compliance with, and comprehension of, the legislation was very poor," Dr Mayhew adds.
A key finding of the study was that more OHS information was needed at all levels, in both quality and quantity.
"We believe apprenticeship training should give comprehensive information on OHS law and responsibilities as well as information on the full range of OHS hazards and risks," Dr Mayhew says.
"For example, while builders frequently recognised that untidy sites were a risk, only very rarely was manual handling recognised, despite the high incidence of chronic back pain."
Dr Mayhew says, even taking age and years of exposure into account, the level of chronic back pain among younger and older builders "is of grave concern."
Small-scale, self-employed builders, mainly working in the domestic housing sector, were the target of the study as they were perceived to be particularly vulnerable to OHS risks, such as hazards exposure, frequency of change in worksites, the competitive market, and dispersion of workers across the State.
"We believed their OHS experiences epitomised the problems faced by small business workers throughout the State, although the levels of risk may have been unusually high," explains Dr Mayhew.
A total of 500 self-employed builders completed questionnaires and were interviewed before the data was analysed.
The study, which found a high incidence of acute and chronic injury, makes a number of recommendations for improving OHS standards and practices:
- improved provision of OHS information to builders.
- secondment of Division of Workplace Health and Safety staff to organisations involved in providing OHS training and information to builders.
- targeted information and education to builders in remote areas, such as the western regions
- and high population growth areas like Moreton.
- compulsory OHS education for apprentices before they start practical training.
The research indicates that the population carries a high burden of acute and chronic morbidity, with almost half of the builders injured during the previous year. In addition, 39 per cent had chronic back pain and 22 per cent said they had hearing loss.
Few of the injuries received professional care: 43 per cent of the self-employed domestic builders treated the injuries themselves. A further 31 per cent failed to treat the injuries themselves. Only in cases of severe injury was professional help frequently sought.
The study was funded by a Worksafe research grant worth more than $40,000. Dr Mayhew's co-investigators were Mr Graeme Gibson, now with the National Safety Council of Australia, and Ms Leanne Coomer, who has since joined the Qld Division of Workplace Healthand Safety as a graduate trainee.
Issued: August 18
Page last updated: 06/07/2008