Social determinants of construction workers health and safety: a call for dialogue

Abstract

<p>Current attention on construction workers’ health and safety have been disproportionately distributed across conditions of work and workplaces. Disease burden is also disproportionately distributed with construction workers that have higher risk of poor health outcomes than the general population. In addition to conditions of work and workplaces, social determinants are thought to also influence the health of construction workforce. Social determinants of health (SDH) are the economic, social, environmental and psychosocial factors that influence health and have a significant role in the development of disease risk factors. However, the effects of SDH on the health disparity of construction workers remain understudied and incompletely understood. In this study, through reviewing interdisciplinary literature, I attempt to investigate and present the mechanisms that connect SDH and construction workers’ health conditions upon which I call for a dialogue in developing multilevel industry-engaged interventions to promote workers’ health and safety.</p>