Printer FriendlyThe Construction Occupational Health Project (COHP) at the University of Massachusetts Lowell was established in 1992 to research and identify the health hazards in the construction industry. Its ultimate objective is to come up with intervention strategies that will hopefully lead to a reduction in the risks faced by this segment of the working population.
Most of the COHP's research to date has been done on highway construction workers employed on the reconstruction of the Central Artery/Third Harbor Tunnel (CA/T) in Boston. Working with the building trades unions and the regional construction industry, the COHP has quantified the risks associated with several trades and professions. Specifically, studies have been conducted to identify occupational illnesses and injuries (e.g., work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMDs), pulmonary disease resulting from exposure to silica, dust and diesel fumes and noise-related hearing loss) within the construction trades.
The COHP has also designed and delivered introductory ergonomics training programs for construction workers and studied the culture of construction and its role in understanding and reducing exposures to health hazards.
The COHP has received grants from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to study the safety and health of construction workers on Boston's Central Artery/Tunnel project. Much of this research is also supported through the Center to Protect Workers' Rights (CPWR). The COHP began five years ago with funding from NIOSH, the Center to Protect Workers Rights, and the research arm of the Building and Trades Dept., AFL-CIO.
COHP Goals
To seek a better understanding of occupational health risks for construction workers by:
- Identifying the hazards involved in heavy highway construction
- Classifying the health effects of these hazards for workers in the major heavy highway construction trades
- Preventing illness and disease among workers doing this type of construction, now and in the future
Prevention measures include:
- Worker training in identifying and solving hazardous situations
- Changes in work organization to decrease the risk of injury
- New technology and tool design to reduce safety and health problems