To better understand the risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders among workers in various sectors of the building and public works industry, in order to combat them more effectively. Sumer Study 2010

The Medical Surveillance of Occupational Risk Exposure (Sumer) survey aims to provide an overview of employees’ exposure to the main occupational risks in France. This summary presents the results of the 2010 Sumer survey, which was conducted in the field between January 2009 and April 2010: 47,983 employees were interviewed face-to-face by 2,400 occupational physicians. These employees are representative of nearly 22 million workers. Key points: Construction workers are twice as likely to be exposed to biomechanical stressors as workers in other sectors (51.8% vs. 23.3%), but they are less exposed to psychosocial risk factors (15.6% exposed to job strain vs. 23.4%) and organizational stressors (78.1% exposed to work pace constraints vs. 81.8%); Co-exposure to biomechanical stressors and work pace constraints affects 40% of construction workers, and co-exposure to work pace constraints and job strain is 12.6%; Exposure to biomechanical stressors is more common among manual laborers, among men (statistically insignificant), and among employees of small businesses (statistically insignificant). It is less common among those over 50 than among younger workers (<30 years old); Employees performing specialized construction work are most exposed to biomechanical stressors, but the type of stressor (vibrations, manual handling, crouching, etc.) varies depending on the nature of their work; Employees in floor and wall covering companies are particularly exposed to vibrations transmitted to the upper limbs, repetitive movements, kneeling, and forced joint positions; Employees in demolition work are particularly exposed to vibrations transmitted to the upper limbs or generated by fixed installations; Prevention efforts should be directed in particular toward small businesses in the finishing trades (plastering, carpentry, painting and glazing, flooring and wall covering) and demolition sectors, and more specifically toward younger employees.

Author(s): Bertin Mélanie, Chazelle Émilie, Dugas Julien, Fouquet Natacha, Chérié Challine Laurence

Publishing year: 2020

Pages: 14 p.

Collection: Monitoring data

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