Abstract

Construction work is highly demanding, because workers are incessantly exposed to harsh environments filled with fumes, dust, heat, and moisture . Cardiovascular diseases, following musculoskeletal diseases, are one of the major causes for early retirement among these workers, because of the “healthy worker effect” . Risks for poor cardiovascular health were more prevalent among construction workers than those in other occupations. In one study, construction workers were 15% and 9% more likely to have hypertension and diabetes, respectively, when compared with workers in the service sector (ORhypertension: 1.15, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.11–1.18; and ORdiabetes: 1.09, 95% CI: 1.02–1.17) . In another study, construction workers were 56% more likely to be obese than white-collar workers . Seventy-one percent of construction workers were either overweight or obese, compared with 67% of all industries. When compared with office clerks and professionals, construction workers were more likely to have metabolic risk factors (raised blood triglycerides, high-density-lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, fasting glucose, central obesity, and hypertension) (OR: 1.62, 95% CI: 1.03–2.56). A related finding also revealed that blue-collar workers, to which construction workers belong, had 4.3 times higher risk of a first event of non-fatal acute ischemic heart disease than white-collar workers . Similar to Western countries, Hong Kong’s construction industry suffers from a shortage of construction workers and a depleting aging workforce. To solve these problems, workers’ health behaviors and cardiovascular health factors, apart from the workplace as pinpointed by the World Health Organization , may have to be looked into more closely in order to avoid early retirement caused by the diseases and to improve the productivity of the existing workforce.