PICTURE an employee in the construction industry and the image that often springs to mind is a muscle-bound worker with a hard hat.
The reality is a little different as a large proportion of the workforce actually have sedentary jobs sitting in front of computer screens all day.
Yet more and more research shows a sedentary lifestyle can lead to serious health problems – and this is why one Glasgow-based construction company has signed up for a project researching the best ways to help employees move more.
The initiative is being run by Glasgow Caledonian University researchers who hope it will create a blueprint for other companies wishing to protect and improve the health of their employees.
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Two companies, including Multiplex, are already contributing to the research and one other small-to-medium-sized business (SME) in any sector is needed to complete the free study which would cost a minimum of £5000 on the open market.
For Multiplex, the first to take part, the results are proving positive.
Health and safety manager Ross Thomson – whose wife works as a nurse in an Accident and Emergency unit and regularly sees heart attacks and strokes caused by unhealthy lifestyles – said the study was a “great opportunity” for the company to invest and help those often overlooked in the construction industry.
“We all know there is a problem with sitting all day but it is probably something that does not get enough attention,” he said.
Thomson added that it was very easy to “slip into a culture of bums on seats”, particularly since the pandemic lockdowns.
The idea of the study is to encourage workers to form health groups to create solutions that will work for everyone in their particular workplace.
“We are trying to prevent ill health so it is about education and making sure the team have the opportunities to get up and about as it is very easy for our office-based staff to duck down on a busy day with tight deadlines,” said Thomson.
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“They might feel compelled to sit at their desk at all times, then go home and just want to relax but this is about giving people practical solutions to get out and about.”
Around half of the current 80-strong workforce at Multiplex are office-based, with designers, technical staff, quantity surveyors among the roles.
Innovations the health group have already introduced include standing desks, the use of Strava for those who want to track their steps, meetings on-site instead of in the office and a “bring your dog to work day” to encourage people to use their breaks to walk their dogs. Those working at home are also encouraged to take breaks in the fresh air.
“We have only been doing this for three or four weeks but I have already noticed a difference,” said Thomson.
Researcher Lauren McCaffrey is monitoring the experience of the workers drawing up the plans for more movement.
“I want to see if we can make the process as enjoyable and engaging as possible because then it is more likely that people will come and create together a solution tailored to their needs and what they would like to see change in their company,” she said. “They come up with an action plan and implement that.
“We are targeting small-to-medium-sized enterprises because they don’t have the same resources as large companies so we wanted to focus on them.”
McCaffrey has recently held interviews with people in the Multiplex workgroup and found their experience was “very positive”.
“They have come up with many great ideas to reduce the time spent sitting at the desk and it is a very rewarding experience to see people work so well together to make a positive healthy change,”she said.
McCaffrey and fellow researcher Mira Vogelsang are part of GCU’s Europe-wide Health Cascade project, aimed at developing co-creation into a scientific method and training the next generation of public health researchers. The €4 million EU-funded Marie Curie project launched last year.
Vogelsang said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for SMEs to get the help and support they need to get make their workplaces as healthy as they possibly can.”
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