Every January 13th, International Depression Awareness Day is observed. This pathology is much more than “feeling sad for a few days” and can have serious consequences. Sometimes, depression can stem from the work environment. The same applies to a series of pathologies that are seemingly unrelated to what is often understood as “physical health.” Therefore, they are underestimated in the health and safety context. Examples of such negative health consequences include:
- work-related stress
- Burnout syndrome (being burnt out)
- psychological violence
- moral harassment
- (…)
The risks of suffering this type of health damage are called psychosocial risks. In the field of Occupational Risk Prevention, psychosocial risks, along with risks associated with physical load, are addressed in the technical discipline of Ergonomics and Applied Psychosociology. This area of prevention encompasses the set of techniques for adapting the work environment to reduce the aforementioned health damages. As we already mentioned in our article on ergonomic risks in construction, it can be said that they are largely overlooked in the field of health and safety.
Psychosocial Factors
We have mentioned that certain situations related to the environment can occur at work that may cause psychosocial harm to individuals. More specifically, according to the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, psychosocial risks “stem from deficiencies in the design, organization, and management of work, as well as from a poor social context of work.” These are what we call Psychosocial Factors, and the aforementioned agency defines them as “the aspect of work design, organization, and management, as well as its social and environmental context, that has the potential to cause physical, social, or psychological harm to workers.”
To understand this definition, drawing a parallel with the discipline of Industrial Hygiene, we could say that psychosocial factors are the contaminants of the psychosocial environment.
Objective and Subjective Environment Factors
There are various classifications of psychosocial factors. In this article, we will use the one that differentiates between those corresponding to the objective environment and the subjective environment:
- Objective environment factors. These are the triggers of psychosocial risks related to the material environment or the physical work environment, to its organization, or to the content of tasks.
- Subjective environment factors or subjective conditions. These are factors that generate risks based on an individual’s perception of dangers and their ability to cope with them. This will largely depend on each person’s characteristics and their interpersonal relationships.
It is important to note that another aspect influencing psychosocial risks is related to individual perception. This is known as the external relational environment. These situations are not directly related to working conditions. However, aspects such as the social environment outside the company or family responsibilities can influence the risk.
Psychosocial Risks in Construction
As in other sectors, construction presents numerous risk situations related to work-related stress, workplace violence, or burnout syndrome. Studies indicate that the construction sector is one of the most stressful.
It should be noted that these types of psychosocial factors are common in SMEs and micro-SMEs. According to Adela Quinzá-Torroja, these risks primarily stem from the “fear of losing one’s job,” which creates a “pressure climate” harmful to workers.
The presence of different levels of subcontracting in the construction sector also influences these types of situations. But also time pressure in carrying out work and high labor turnover. It is also important to consider the simultaneous presence of hazardous chemical substances, as well as other safety risks and changes in the work environment, which can lead to stressful situations.
Study by the Fundación Laboral de la Construcción
In this regard, there is an interesting study prepared by the Fundación Laboral de la Construcción, resulting from project AE0029/2015 “Dissemination of tools for the implementation of preventive measures derived from psychosocial risks in the construction sector,” which analyzes how these risks affect the sector and proposes measures and good practices to prevent them. Certain conclusions have been reached in the sector regarding psychosocial factors. These can be summarized as follows:
- Efforts must be made to achieve real and widespread integration of prevention in companies.
- Company size does not significantly influence the psychosocial risk factors operating within organizations.
- Worker participation within organizations must be improved.
- Workloads must be balanced, and the functions of each job position clearly defined.
The job positions that bear the greatest psychosocial burden are middle management. They suffer from a high degree of fatigue and stress. This is a result of the need to ensure that the execution of construction work meets planned deadlines and available resources. Sometimes, affected individuals do not want to complain too much. They do not want to pressure superiors to avoid not being hired again.
Preventive measures in the sector:
To adequately manage psychosocial risks, a series of preventive measures must be taken. According to the FLC, this is how the challenge posed by the analysis can be addressed. The course of action should include the following actions, as concluded in the aforementioned study by the Fundación Laboral de la Construcción:
- Communication channels must be established in organizations. Foster people’s participation through decision-making on aspects related to their work.
- Plan work rhythms during project execution to control workload.
- Clearly define the functions and responsibilities of each job position.
- Provide management and leadership training for middle management.
