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152 Ergonomic Hazards in Construction
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Risk Factors Inherent in the Environment

Environmental risk factors refer to the physical and psychosocial climate in the workplace include:

Cold weather increases the likelihood of ergonomic injuries.
  • Illumination: Inadequate light can increase the number of attempts in completing a task.
  • Sound: Sound can be an irritant to increase stress.
  • Humidity: Humidity has an impact on worker endurance which affects the duration with which work can be conducted safely.
  • Temperature: Be it too hot or too cold, in combination with any one of the above risk factors may also increase the potential for MSDs to develop.
  • Psychosocial: Psychosocial work demands in terms of job control, psychological demands, social support, and job dissatisfaction all can influence the rate at which employees are injured. If your employer forces employees to work fast, not safe, the likelihood of MSDs increases.

Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.

1-6. How can the psychosocial environment influence ergonomic hazards?