E1a: A Collaborative Approach to Construction Worker Well-Being
Presented During: E1: Research Roundup Total Worker Health® 1
Tue, 6/2: 8:00 AM - 8:30 AM CDT
Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Convention Center
Description
Construction well-being efforts often emphasize individual-level solutions and lack sustainability. The Built to Last (BTL) Toolkit offers a structured, participatory process that builds leadership capacity and empowers frontline workers to co-create practical, jobsite-ready solutions that focus on root causes. Grounded in evidence-based programs-Foundations for Safety Leadership (FSL) and the Healthy Worker Participatory Program (HWPP)-BTL address safety and well-being. The toolkit advances industry efforts by: (1) integrating mental health into core safety culture practices, (2) bridging leadership training in role modeling, empowerment, and feedback with participatory design methods to produce both culture change and tangible tools, and (3) providing a systems roadmap that links physical job demands, organizational practices, and mental health outcomes.
The toolkit explicitly examines how physical and environmental jobsite conditions (e.g., long hours, unsafe conditions, high production pressures) contribute to stress, burnout, and poor mental health. Through its multi-step process -Plan, Design, Implement, Evaluate- organizations identify the root causes of poor worker well-being and workers co-design solutions from new work practices to supervisor supports and peer systems. By targeting upstream contributors rather than individual coping alone, BTL delivers practical strategies that reduce or eliminate jobsite stressors to build stronger, healthier crews.
The toolkit explicitly examines how physical and environmental jobsite conditions (e.g., long hours, unsafe conditions, high production pressures) contribute to stress, burnout, and poor mental health. Through its multi-step process -Plan, Design, Implement, Evaluate- organizations identify the root causes of poor worker well-being and workers co-design solutions from new work practices to supervisor supports and peer systems. By targeting upstream contributors rather than individual coping alone, BTL delivers practical strategies that reduce or eliminate jobsite stressors to build stronger, healthier crews.
Co-Authors
N. Schwatka, Centers for Health, Work & Environment, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
S. Rice, Center for the Promotion of Health in the New England Workplace, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, USA
S. Nobrega, Center for the Promotion of Health in the New England Workplace University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, USA
O. Zarella, Centers for Health, Work & Environment, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
L. Tenney
S. Rice, Center for the Promotion of Health in the New England Workplace, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, USA
S. Nobrega, Center for the Promotion of Health in the New England Workplace University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, USA
O. Zarella, Centers for Health, Work & Environment, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
L. Tenney
Acknowledgements & References
None
Keywords
Education and training
OHS Management systems, auditing, and compliance
Risk assessment and management