Construction Employers Can Help Alleviate Workers’ Risk of Heart Disease:
While one in four construction workers are at high risk for heart attacks and strokes, employers can offset the dangers with education efforts focused on healthy lifestyle choices.
The following is a guest post from Gordon Childress, executive vice president and general manager for the California division of Skanska Building USA.
As builders, we are often tasked with creating new facilities — whether a hospital, science lab, airport or university building — that improve a community’s quality of life and contribute to its overall wellbeing. What is sometimes overlooked in our line of work, however, is that construction is a physically demanding job that comes with many safety risks of its own.
One risk that is not often talked about but persists throughout the industry is the significant percentage of workers who experience heart disease in their lifetimes. Currently, one in four construction workers have high blood pressure and are at high risk for diseases such as heart attacks and strokes.
This issue can sometimes be attributed to hereditary reasons, but poor diet and exercise habits among us are also to blame. These damaging lifestyle choices are considered the norm, but they have led to even more deaths on jobsites due to heart attacks.
Personally, I come from a family that has experienced challenges related to heart health — from diabetes to high blood pressure, to high cholesterol and more. My father experienced a stroke and I am a pre-hypertension candidate. The issue of heart health is close to me both professionally and personally, and I know that the persistence of heart issues across construction does not need to be the reality.
As we observe American Heart Month, we as an industry should revisit the role we can play in the livelihoods of our teams and ensure we are implementing programs and strategies that ensure heart health for the many men and women who dedicate their careers to construction.
Education is key
One of the first steps in improving heart health across our industry is education. In the simplest terms, you do not know what you do not know. Only by increasing awareness of health risks and scheduling regular doctor’s visits can you gain the insights and strategies needed to take better care of your body and your health. Click here for the link to the original article from Construction Dive
