Additionally to being at high risk of injuries during their activities many construction workers are at high risk of heart disease

While construction companies have to respect very strict safety protocol to prevent their workers being injured in construction accidents, they often overlook the global health of their workers.

In a recent opinion in Construction Dive, Gordon Childress, the executive VP and GM for the California division of Skanska Building USA  look at the risks of heart disease among construction workers and how can their employers help reduce these risks.

According to statistics from the CDC, 1 out of 4 construction workers is at risk of a heart disease. While some workers are genetically pre-disposed to this risk and have histories of diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol running in their family, others simply have an unhealthy lifestyle that puts them at risk of developing such disease.

Construction companies can play a role in keeping their construction workers healthy

Making sure workers are getting regular doctor check ups and educating them on health issues can go a long way in preventing heart disease.  From hosting sessions on healthcare and wellness to distributing health information to workers and organizing health challenges, there are many ways companies cam make construction workers aware of potential heart disease.

Construction companies can reach out to organizations such as the American Heart Association or the Red Cross to develop programs to reach out to their employees and make them aware of potential heart problems and how they can reduce them.

By offering free lunch to employees attending a blood pressure monitoring program organized with the American Heart Association, a construction company was able to offer training in blood pressure monitoring to 800 workers. They also found out during the training that 72% of them were suffering from hypertension. From there, employees were encourage to use an online tracker and follow a program to reduce their blood pressure which 17% of them were able to achieve.

Keeping workers healthy on a construction site is a win win for both workers and employers.

Read the Opinion on Construction Dive