Ergonomic and physical hazard exposure and musculoskeletal pain among construction workers: focusing on cumulative daily exposure time.

OBJECTIVES

This cross-sectional secondary analysis quantified daily exposure times among construction workers, examined differences by musculoskeletal pain status and identified factors associated with exposure.

METHODS

Data from 1409 construction workers were obtained from the Korean Working Conditions Survey. Daily exposure times were estimated using a weighted frequency formula. Independent t tests with Bonferroni correction and logistic regression were conducted, with exposure categorized as <2, 2-4 and ≥ 4 h/day.

RESULTS

Ergonomic hazards showed the longest daily exposures, led by repetitive motion (2.996 h/day) and awkward posture (2.609 h/day). Pain-reporting workers had longer exposure times. Logistic regression showed that awkward posture ≥4 h/day had the strongest associations with back pain (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 3.348, 95% confidence interval [CI] [2.206, 5.082]) and upper limb pain (adjusted OR 2.304, 95% CI [1.562, 3.399]). In contrast, lower limb pain was associated with high temperature ≥4 h/day (adjusted OR 2.182, 95% CI [1.352, 3.521]) and handling heavy loads ≥4 h/day (adjusted OR 1.848, 95% CI [1.152, 2.965]). Age 50 years and weekly working >40 h increased odds of pain.

CONCLUSIONS

Longer daily exposure times were associated with increased odds of musculoskeletal pain, supporting the need for cumulative exposure monitoring and time-based preventive strategies.