2024 年 12 巻 4 号 p. 98-116
According to the data released by the National Bureau of Statistics of China in April 2022, the average age of 'migrant workers' is 41.7 years old and the proportion of migrant workers over 50 years old is 27.3%, which increased by 0.9% compared with the previous year. Among them, 19% of migrant workers are engaged in the construction industry. In the next ten years, there will be about 15 million or more migrant construction workers reaching the retirement age of 60, and about 40% of the workers will be over 50 years old. Based on the aging workforce development trend in the construction industry, this paper examines the health and working conditions of construction workers and proposes measures, including strengthening health security, avoidance of hazardous factors, and improvement of working conditions, to address the aging of the construction workforce in China.
The General Office of the State Council issued the "Opinions on Promoting the Sustainable and Healthy Development of the Construction Industry" in 2017(GOSC, 2017), and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development jointly released the "Management Measures for Real-name Registration of Construction Workers (Trial)" in 2019 (Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rura Development, 2016). By providing construction workers with the opportunity to register their identity information, professional qualifications, employment history, these policy documents have significantly reduced the risks associated with occupational safety for workers over 60 years old. However, the construction industry is facing an increasingly severe problem in "labor shortage". The overall number of laborers is declining in the construction industry, which heavily relies on migrant workers as its main labor force. In April 2022, the National Bureau of Statistics released the "2021 Monitoring and Survey Report on Migrant Workers"(hereinafter referred to as the Report) (Official Website of the Chinese Government, 2022), which indicated that "the average age of migrant workers continues to increase," with an average age of 41.7 years old. Additionally, the proportion of migrant workers over 50 years old is 27.3%, which increased by 0.9% compared with the previous year. According to the Report, about 19% of migrant workers are engaged in the construction industry, and it is estimated that over the next ten years, at least 15 million migrant workers in the construction industry will reach the retirement age of 60, and the proportion of workers over 50 years old will rise to 40%.
The "Guidelines on Promoting the Healthy Development of the Construction Industry" were issued by the State Council on December 18, 2020(Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, National Development and Reform Commission et al., 2020), outlining measures to address the problem of aging workforce and promote the sustainable development of the construction industry. The guidelines place a strong emphasis on the necessity of adapting to the aging of workforce by improving their work conditions, providing training opportunities, and implementing targeted policies to support elder workers. The guidelines also highlight the importance of conducting surveys and research in order to identify the specific challenges and develop effective strategies.
In order to investigate the health of construction workers and the factors influencing their health, a survey totaling 1,673 workers—with an emphasis on those over 50—was conducted at 13 construction sites across four provinces. The data analysis provided valuable insights into the health risks and challenges faced by the elder construction workers.
The research findings reveal that workers aged 50 and above experience a higher prevalence and severity of health problems, compared with younger workers. Symptoms such as joint pain and negative emotions caused by work-related stress are more pronounced in this age group. Respondents who assessed their general health as "very healthy" make up a smaller percentage of the sample than those who reported "slight health issues." These symptoms became more prevalent with increasing age, particularly in terms of negative emotions caused by work-related stress, feeling fatigue while working, and experiencing drowsiness and slow reactions.
Scaffolding, openings, heights, edges, and basements are examples of work environment that were found to present a high risk of occupational accidents and health hazards. Additionally, it was discovered that there was need for improvement in the living conditions in worker dormitories, where an average of 5-6 people shared a room and 20 people shared a bathroom. The lighting and site conditions at the connection between production and living areas also exerted a significant impact on the health of workers aged 50 and above, especially at night when workers were more fatigued. Despite the fact that medical stations were set up at each construction site, elder workers tended to self-medicate or seek treatment at nearby large hospitals, leading to lower treatment efficiency.
Based on investigations conducted at various construction sites, this study classified the site areas into production areas, living management areas, construction waste disposal areas, safety protection areas, and temporary facility areas. Among all these areas, the production and living management areas were identified as the two most crucial areas in terms of their impact on the health of workers aged 50 and above. Aiming to address health issues pertaining to aging workers, this study has proposed a number of measures, including creating a safe work environment, reducing risks of environmental exposure, improving living conditions, and enhancing medical services. The B-11 construction site was used as a case study to illustrate the health risks associated with the site environment given the aging workforce, and to provide specific recommendations for environmental improvement.
Currently, research on the aging of labor workers in China is mostly concerned with safety theory and improving the labor supply-demand relationship. For example, Chinese scholars Wang and Sun (2017) pointed out that there are dimensional differences in safety awareness among different construction trades. In addition to overall safety awareness, specialized and non-specialized trades differ significantly in three dimensions: safety cognition, safety emotions, and safety willpower(Wang and Sun, 2017). Chinese scholars Ye and Ouyang (2020) proposed a new model of gig labor that optimizes the supply-demand ratio, shortens job durations, and boosts labor efficiency, providing a new approach to address the aging of labor workers. International academics have concentrated more on the circumstances that affect laborers directly, such as their health status, diseases, and injuries. For instance, American scholars Shishlov, Schoenfisch et al. (2011) conducted an investigation on non-fatal fall-related injuries in the construction industry, revealing that workers over the age of 45 had double the injury rate compared with workers under the age of 45. The frequency of bruises/abrasions, sprains/strains, and fractures was almost the same for workers over the age of 50, while younger workers aged under 29 and those aged between 30 and 39 experienced more bruises/abrasions and sprains/strains than fractures. German researchers Arndt, Rothenbacher et al. (2005) studied the risk of disability among construction workers, and found that compared with workers aged 25–39, who had 134 instances per 100,000 person-years, those aged 60-64 had 8,551 cases of work-related disabilities. Chinese scholars Li, Shen et al. (2015) pointed out that in order to improve the limited living space, low-rent housing's outdoor area could be diversified to partly fulfil interior functions, by which way the cost of the low-rent housing could be reduced to a certain extent. According to research conducted by Iranian scholars Abdollahpour, Sharifi et al. (2021), physical and spatial interactions are the most significant indicator of the level of happiness for residents in affordable housing projects. However, currently there is limited research available in China that quantitatively analyzes and studies the changes in labor workers' physical functions, risk perception, and strategies for improving their living and working conditions on construction sites.
A questionnaire survey of 1,673 labor workers at construction sites nationwide serves as the basis for this study that will conduct data collection, analysis, and statistics on the health, risk perception, work, and living environments of labor workers. It will also explain the current situation of aging labor workforce, and propose proactive measures and recommendations for enhancing the living and working conditions of laborers in the construction industry.
A total of 1,673 construction workers participated in the survey, which was conducted in 97 cities across 25 provinces (Figure 1). The questionnaire was distributed electronically, and the data collection process lasted for one month. The purpose of the survey was to collect comprehensive information regarding the health and working conditions of the construction workers. The data collected from the 1,673 respondents provided a foundation for the analysis conducted in this study.
The questionnaire design in this survey focused on the adaptive relationship between individuals and the environment. The information was collected from the following four major aspects: 1) Basic personal information of the labor workers; 2) Self-assessment of workers' physical health conditions; 3) Workers' perception of hazardous factors; 4) Current conditions of construction sites and living environments.
The "Basic personal Information" section included variables such as gender, age, and education level. The "Self-assessment of Physical Health Conditions" section involved aspects like muscular weakness, heaviness in limbs, and joint pain. The section of "Perception of Hazardous Factors" examined different degrees of hazard occurrences, locations and reasons for potential safety risks, as well as locations and causes for previous safety accidents.
The section of "Current Conditions of Construction Sites and Living Environments" focused on workers’ living conditions, including dormitories, bathrooms, canteens, and sanitary facilities. The investigation covered aspects such as dormitory sizes, indoor conditions, resident count, bathing facilities, and shared usage of bathrooms. In terms of the construction site, the lighting conditions at night and the measures taken to address discomfort were investigated.
This study will analyze the questionnaire data to examine the increasing demand for environmental improvements among aging construction laborers and propose corresponding solutions to this problem.
Among the 1,673 respondents, females accounted for 10.58%, while males accounted for 89.42%. In terms of age distribution, the largest group was respondents aged 30-39, with 562 individuals accounting for 33.59% (Figure 2). 345 respondents, or 20.62% of the sample, were 50 years old or older, including 6 respondents in managerial positions aged 60 and above. The average age was 43. The distribution of years of work experience was rather even, with the highest proportion being over 15 years (23.73%), and the lowest being 2 years and above (14.47%). Among respondents aged 50 and above, 23.48% had more than 15 years of work experience. The number of diseases and the percentage of laborers with digestive system disorders and surgical injuries increased after their engagement in construction work. The proportion of individuals without any diseases decreased, while the number of respiratory system diseases increased among the population aged 50 and above. The proportions of individuals with surgical injuries and digestive system diseases were similar to the overall situation (Figure 3).
The respondents' current and past occupations were summarized based on the categories of occupations. In terms of current occupations, formwork workers (12.73%), masonry workers (12.85%), and rebar workers (13.09%) had the highest percentages. Compared to their past occupations, the number of individuals in these three occupations decreased. Those classified as "other occupations" saw a notable rise in the current types of occupations. Among the 345 respondents aged 50 and above, there were 34 masonry workers, 32 rebar workers, 22 formwork workers, 20 high-altitude crane operators, and 14 waterproofing workers. The distribution of occupations among this age group was consistent with the overall distribution (Table 1).
| Occupation | Current Number | Current Percentage | Past Number | Past Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stone worker | 22 | 1.32% | 34 | 2.03% |
| Pile worker | 32 | 1.91% | 40 | 2.39% |
| High-altitude crane operator | 49 | 2.93% | 64 | 3.83% |
| Steel structure installer | 37 | 2.21% | 66 | 3.95% |
| Waterproofer | 49 | 2.93% | 70 | 4.18% |
| Scaffolder | 70 | 4.18% | 107 | 6.40% |
| Painter | 70 | 4.18% | 111 | 6.63% |
| Plasterer/Putty worker | 74 | 4.42% | 133 | 7.95% |
| Welder | 104 | 6.22% | 180 | 10.76% |
| Concrete worker | 109 | 6.52% | 180 | 10.76% |
| Formwork worker | 213 | 12.73% | 281 | 16.80% |
| Rebar worker | 219 | 13.09% | 294 | 17.57% |
| Mason | 215 | 12.85% | 297 | 17.75% |
| Others | 734 | 43.87% | 622 | 37.18% |
According to the statistics of working hours, an average worker worked 6.4 days per week, or 9.52 hours per day. Approximately 50% of the respondents worked more than 4 hours at a single job. Among the respondents aged 50 and above, over half of them worked 7 days per week, and 50% of them put in more than 4 hours at a single job, which was consistent with the overall distribution. Among the 1,673 surveyed individuals, 730 considered that their jobs required more "long-duration work," while 554 believed that "problem-solving abilities for complex situations" were more important. Additionally, it was also crucial to have the ability to respond to emergencies and handle high-intensity work tasks in a short period of time. In terms of the use of automated and intelligent equipment, 49.37% and 31.26% of the respondents, respectively, reported using "automatic leveling devices" and "intelligent management tool apps". Other mentioned intelligent devices included "welding robots," "intelligent tensioning equipment," and "drones." Respondents aged 50 and above used a smaller variety of intelligent devices, compared with the overall respondents.
In terms of career planning, 46.92% of the surveyed individuals preferred occupations with higher specialization and lower repetition. As shown in Figure 4, 47.2% of respondents aged 50 and above chose this option, indicating a slight increase in proportion as respondents' ages increased. 64.67% of the respondents, or 1,082 individuals (Figure 5), planned to continue their current work in the next five years. 212 respondents (61.4%, a 3% decline) aged 50 and above decided to keep working at their current jobs. The inclination to continue working in the construction industry decreased with age.
The statistics of self-assessment of physical condition show that around 20% of the respondents reported abnormal physical conditions. Symptoms such as "joint pain" and "negative emotions caused by psychological stress" were more noticeable. Respondents aged 50 and above reported a a decrease of 3%-5% in the proportion of symptoms that did not correspond to the overall condition, while the percentage of "rarely corresponds" increased by 3%-8%. In particular, "negative emotions caused by psychological stress" (+8.25%), "feeling weak during work" (+6.54%), and "frequent drowsiness and slow reactions during work" (+6.25%) all showed substantial increases in the manifestation of symptoms with the advancing age (Table 2). 46.92% of those surveyed reported that they favored careers with more specialization and less repetition when it came to career planning.
| Physical condition | Do not conform to | Very rarely | Sometimes conform to | Basic agreement | Fit perfectly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I often have weak muscles and heavy limbs when working | Overall situation（1673） |
1081 (64.61%) |
263 (15.72%) |
145 (8.67%) |
97 (5.8%) |
87 (5.2%) |
| 80.33% | ||||||
| Cases over 50 years old（345） | 205 | 71 | 32 | 22 | 15 | |
| 59.42% | 20.58% | 9.28% | 6.38% | 4.35% | ||
| Proportional change | -5.19% | 4.86% | 0.61% | 0.58% | -0.85% | |
| I often get sore joints at work | Overall situation（1673） |
1039 (62.1%) |
271 (16.2%) |
191 (11.42%) |
86 (5.14%) |
86 (5.14%) |
| 78.3% | ||||||
| Cases over 50 years old（345） | 198 | 70 | 38 | 20 | 19 | |
| 57.39% | 20.29% | 11.01% | 5.80% | 5.51% | ||
| Proportional change | -4.71% | 4.09% | -0.41% | 0.66% | 0.37% | |
| I often feel weak at work | Overall situation（1673） |
1088 (65.03%) |
264 (15.78%) |
152 (9.09%) |
80 (4.78%) |
89 (5.32%) |
| 80.81% | ||||||
| Cases over 50 years old（345） | 213 | 77 | 28 | 13 | 14 | |
| 61.74% | 22.32% | 8.12% | 3.77% | 4.06% | ||
| Proportional change | -3.29% | 6.54% | -0.97% | -1.01% | -1.26% | |
| When working, the movement often slows down and the work efficiency becomes low | Overall situation（1673） |
1083 (64.73%) |
295 (17.63%) |
137 (8.19%) |
77 (4.6%) |
81 (4.84%) |
| 82.36% | ||||||
| Cases over 50 years old（345） | 213 | 75 | 33 | 10 | 14 | |
| 61.74% | 21.74% | 9.57% | 2.90% | 4.06% | ||
| Proportional change | -2.99% | 4.11% | 1.38% | -1.70% | -0.78% | |
| I often feel sleepy and unresponsive at work | Overall situation（1673） |
1095 (65.45%) |
298 (17.81%) |
147 (8.79%) |
59 (3.53%) |
74 (4.42%) |
| 83.26% | ||||||
| Cases over 50 years old（345） | 200 | 83 | 38 | 11 | 13 | |
| 57.97% | 24.06% | 11.01% | 3.19% | 3.77% | ||
| Proportional change | -7.48% | 6.25% | 2.22% | -0.34% | -0.65% | |
| I often lose things and have a bad memory when I work | Overall situation（1673） |
1063 (63.54%) |
320 (19.13%) |
151 (9.03%) |
64 (3.83%) |
75 (4.48%) |
| 82.58% | ||||||
| Cases over 50 years old（345） | 208 | 76 | 39 | 9 | 13 | |
| 60.29% | 22.03% | 11.30% | 2.61% | 3.77% | ||
| Proportional change | -3.25% | 2.90% | 2.27% | -1.22% | -0.71% | |
| My work often gives me too much psychological pressure, which leads to negative emotions | Overall situation（1673人） |
1044 (62.4%) |
313 (18.71%) |
167 (9.98%) |
68 (4.06%) |
81 (4.84%) |
| 81.11% | ||||||
| Cases over 50 years old（345） | 186 | 93 | 38 | 15 | 13 | |
| 53.91% | 26.96% | 11.01% | 4.35% | 3.77% | ||
| Proportional change | -8.49% | 8.25% | 1.03% | 0.29% | -1.07% | |
| During the course of work, the quality of sleep can be reduced | Overall situation（1673） |
1022 (61.09%) |
285 (17.04%) |
197 (11.78%) |
78 (4.66%) |
91 (5.44%) |
| 78.13% | ||||||
| Cases over 50 years old（345） | 186 | 75 | 53 | 16 | 15 | |
| 53.91% | 21.74% | 15.36% | 4.64% | 4.35% | ||
| Proportional change | -7.18% | 4.70% | 3.58% | -0.02% | -1.09% | |
According to the statistics of hazard severity and occurrence frequency, higher hazard severity corresponded to lower occurrence frequency. The occurrence rates of hazards with moderate, significant, and major severity (calculated as the sum of "sometimes " "often" and "frequently" in the corresponding severity categories) were approximately 5.09%, 4.85%, and 4.37% respectively. Compared with respondents aged 50 and above, the rates of "rarely" for hazards at various severity levels decreased, while the rates of "infrequently " increased. Overall, the occurrence frequency of hazards tended to increase with age (Table 3).
| Degree of risk | Rarely | Infrequently | Sometimes | Often | Frequently | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimal risk (e.g. minor scratches, etc.) | Overall situation（1673） | 1182(70.65%) | 252(15.06%) | 170(10.16%) | 36(2.15%) | 33(1.97%) |
| Cases over 50 years old（345） | 237 | 57 | 38 | 6 | 7 | |
| 68.70% | 16.52% | 11.01% | 1.74% | 2.03% | ||
| Proportional change | -1.95% | 1.46% | 0.85% | -0.41% | 0.06% | |
| Minor hazards (e.g. falls, minor limb trauma, etc.) | Overall situation（1673） | 1204(71.97%) | 282(16.86%) | 143(8.55%) | 22(1.32%) | 22(1.32%) |
| Cases over 50 years old（345） | 240 | 69 | 29 | 4 | 3 | |
| 69.57% | 20.00% | 8.41% | 1.16% | 0.87% | ||
| Proportional change | -2.40% | 3.14% | -0.14% | -0.16% | -0.45% | |
| Moderate risk (e.g. fracture, etc.) | Overall situation（1673） | 1475(88.16%) | 113(6.75%) | 63(3.77%) | 12(0.72%) | 10(0.6%) |
| Cases over 50 years old（345） | 303 | 27 | 14 | 1 | 0 | |
| 87.83% | 7.83% | 4.06% | 0.29% | 0.00% | ||
| Proportional change | -0.33% | 1.08% | 0.29% | -0.43% | -0.60% | |
| Significant risk (e.g. head, eye, etc.) | Overall situation（1673） | 1491(89.12%) | 101(6.04%) | 58(3.47%) | 12(0.72%) | 11(0.66%) |
| Cases over 50 years old（345） | 309 | 24 | 10 | 2 | 0 | |
| 89.57% | 6.96% | 2.90% | 0.58% | 0.00% | ||
| Proportional change | 0.45% | 0.92% | -0.57% | -0.14% | -0.66% | |
| Significant level of hazard (e.g. fall, electric shock, fire, etc.) | Overall situation（1673） | 1519(90.79%) | 81(4.84%) | 53(3.17%) | 9(0.54%) | 11(0.66%) |
| Cases over 50 years old（345） | 313 | 20 | 12 | 0 | 0 | |
| 90.72% | 5.80% | 3.48% | 0.00% | 0.00% | ||
| Proportional change | -0.07% | 0.96% | 0.31% | -0.54% | -0.66% | |
The frequency statistics of potential accident locations and causes show that many respondents identified locations such as "scaffolding," "opening/hole," "heights," and "edges" as potential accident sites. Possible causes of accidents in these locations include "falling from heights," "inadequate protective measures," "vehicle congestion," "nails/sticking out," and "electric shock," among others. Places such as "basement," "heights," "opening/hole," "floors," and "scaffolding" have a higher risk of accidents, and common causes include "falling objects from heights", "heatstroke", "carelessness", etc.
Current living and production environment Living environmentAccording to the "Construction Labor Service Management Standards," workers’ living quarters should be separated from the construction sites, including dormitories, toilets, canteens, and clinics. Air conditioners are commonly installed in dormitories, and there is often a combination of toilets and showers. Since workers aged 60 and above are prohibited to work on the sites, aging-friendly and barrier-free designs have not yet been taken into consideration on construction sites. Among the 1,673 participants in the survey, 618 respondents lived in dorms with 5-6 people, and 590 respondents, or 72.21% of the total, lived in dorms with 4 people. Regarding bathroom usage, among the dormitories with more than 20 rooms, 32.22% shared a single communal bathroom, 27.91% had one small bathroom shared by 1-2 rooms, and 27.85% had only one bathroom for 3-10 rooms. Furthermore, 82.49% of the dormitories had 2-3 stories. There was only one central dormitory area in 51.34% of the construction sites, and 49.13% were located more than 200 meters away from the work area. The schematic diagram of the living environment on construction sites is shown in Figure 6.
According to the questionnaire responses, 55.35% of the construction sites had all the pedestrian paths hardened, and 35.74% had most of the roads hardened. Approximately 52.96% of the sites had smooth and level surfaces little variation in height, while 30.72% had some areas with potholes. Overall, the roads at the construction sites were in good condition. When asked how many steps they took during the workday, 70.59% of the respondents reported that they took more than 5,000 steps, and 53.32% reported over 10,000 steps. 66.59% of the respondents believed that the lighting was sufficiently bright to support safe work during nighttime working hours. The majority of reports of inadequate lighting were made in particular areas of the work sites. 47.23% mentioned "details of work operations" and 31.48% mentioned "overall work environment." Safety signs, path signs, and operation signs -especially safety operation signs- were generally placed in an appropriate manner, which accounted for 94.08% of the responses. A total of 1,204 individuals (71.97%) indicated that the signage at the construction site was sufficiently clear.
Medical situations1,410 respondents, or 84.28% of the sample, chose to seek medical treatment at local hospitals when they were in physical discomfort. Additionally, 671 individuals chose to rest, representing 42.03% of the respondents. A total of 499 individuals, or 29.83% of the respondents, made use of the on-site clinic at the construction sites. Furthermore, 20.92% of the respondents, or 350 individuals, opted to use medications prepared by themselves or their coworkers. Among the 345 respondents aged 50 and above, 305 individuals chose to seek medical treatment at local hospitals, accounting for 88.4%. Moreover, 141 individuals chose to rest, representing 40.87% of the respondents. 83 individuals, or 24.06% of the respondents, used medications prepared by themselves or their coworkers. 75 individuals, or 21.74% of the respondents, sought medical treatment at the on-site clinic. It can be observed that as age increases, there are a higher proportion of respondents who choose nearby medical treatment, self-medication, or rest, indicating an increased demand for medical care. However, the proportion of respondents who sought medical treatment at the on-site clinic decreases with age, indicating that the existing on-site clinics might not be sufficient to fulfill the healthcare requirements of workers as they age (Figure 7).
The COVID-19 pandemic exerted an impact on construction sites all around the country, affecting their daily operations. The research team selected four cities where construction activities were fully resumed: Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, and Wuhan. A total of 13 construction sites were surveyed: 4 in Beijing, 3 in Shanghai, 3 in Chengdu, and 3 in Wuhan. During the on-site surveys, interviews were conducted with site managers, who provided layout plans of the construction sites. According to these designs, construction sites can be divided into construction zones (including areas for material storage and construction operations), worker accommodation areas, and management offices. This study focuses on the layout of construction site areas that are related to workers' health risks and classifies the relationship between accommodation, office management areas, and construction zones for the 13 construction sites. The five main types of layouts are as follows: dispersed layout of accommodation and office management areas within the construction project boundary, centralized layout of accommodation and office management areas within the construction project boundary, mobile layout of accommodation and office management areas within the construction project boundary, adjacent layout of accommodation and office management areas outside the construction project boundary, and distant layout of accommodation and office management areas outside the construction project boundary. Table 3 shows the layout plans and the characteristics of each layout type. Among the five types, the dispersed layout within the construction project boundary is used in 5 out of the 13 construction sites, because it does not require additional leased land and a large area for centralized placement. The safest and most economical method, according to the construction managers interviewed, is to establish accommodation and office management areas outside the construction site but adjacent to the project boundary. However, it is challenging to lease land close to the construction sites because of the short construction schedule and large areas of land. Therefore, the most popular strategy in recent years has been the dispersed layout within the construction project boundary. It also poses the greatest challenges in terms of safety management among all layout types.
| Dispersed type within the boundary: B-11,B-10,S-1,C-2,S-7 | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Layout | The living, management and office areas are set separately in the red line, and the management office area is separated from the workers' living area |
| Cost | No additional venue rental fee | |
| Safety and housing | Land availability is limited within the red line boundary, resulting in compact and densely populated residential areas. Due to the dispersed layout of the living quarters, the workers’ movement patterns become complex, necessitating higher requirements for on-site roads and lighting. As the residential areas are in close proximity to construction zones, including material storage areas, it is essential to implement appropriate safety management measures. | |
| Centralized type within the boundary：C-3 | ||
|
Layout | The residential and administrative areas are centrally located within the red line boundary. However, it requires sufficient space within the red line boundary, and this arrangement is rarely possible on construction sites in cities with a shortage of land. |
| Cost | Same as the dispersed type within the boundary | |
| Safety and housing | The residential area, administrative area, and construction site area are clearly segregated, and the flow of workers' activities is simplified. | |
| Mobile arrangement type within the boundary：B-8 | ||
|
Layout | The residential area, administrative area, and construction site area are clearly segregated, and the flow of workers' activities is simplified. |
| Cost | There is a secondary relocation cost | |
| Safety and housing | Due to limited space, there is a high density of residential areas, and secondary relocation poses certain safety risks. | |
| Adjacent type outside the boundary：C-1,W-4,W-6 | ||
|
Layout | Residential areas and management offices are arranged in close proximity to the construction site. |
| Cost | It requires leased land outside the boundary, incurring leasing costs. | |
| Safety and housing | By locating the residential areas far away from the construction site, the layout of the residential area is appropriately planned, reducing the safety risks compared with the residential areas located within the boundary. | |
| Distant type outside the boundary：B-9,W-5,S-13 | ||
|
Layout | Residential areas and management offices are set up away from the construction site. |
| Cost | Shuttle buses are required for transportation of the workers, which results in additional expenses; there are no site rental fees when using the company-owned dorms for residential areas and management offices. | |
| Safety and housing | Same as the adjacent type outside the boundary | |
Comment：BEIJING-B，SHANGAHI-S，CHENGDU-C，WUHAN-W；The number indicates the survey sequence number. The black part of the diagram is the living and management office area, and the gray part is the construction operation area.
Dispersed layout within the construction project boundary: living environment of B-11B-11 is a dormitory project at a university, consisting of 13 residential buildings that are currently under construction, with the main structures already completed. The workers’ accommodation and office management areas are dispersed within the construction project boundary. The two areas are located in the southwest and the northeast, respectively. There is one office building, two residential buildings, and one cafeteria in the northwest area, while three residential buildings, two office buildings, one cafeteria, and one cleaning room are in the southwest. Entry into both areas is restricted and requires facial recognition as a means of confirming identity. (Figure 8).
The workers in the residential area take their three meals a day at the cafeteria on the west side and are prohibited from eating outside the site in order to prevent food poisoning. The residential buildings are three-story temporary housing units built with modular structures, and there are regular rooms and couple rooms.
The southwest area of the accommodation and office management area has a total of 60 regular rooms, three of which are couple rooms. While the couple rooms feature partitions to accommodate two couples for a total of four people, each regular room can accommodate six people. 354 labor workers in total can be accommodated in the south area, where there are 20 male toilets, 4 female toilets, 20 male showers, and 3 female showers. No medical rooms are in the south but there is one in the north area. It is shared with one of the offices and stocked with basic medications, although there is no doctor on duty (Figure 9).
Each residential room has an 18-square-meter interior space with three bunk beds, air conditioning, overhead lights, and shared tables. Two sets of wardrobes are provided for storage, and each bed has a luggage space for personal belongings (Figure 10).
According to the questionnaire data, 345 respondents, or 20.62% of the total, aged 50 and above, and the average age was 43. Based on the data from the National Bureau of Statistics, we can determine the average age growth rate of migrant workers and find that after 30 years, the average age of labor workers will exceed 60. If the employment age limit is set at 60, the age distribution of the labor force in the construction industry will become more concentrated in the 50-60 age range. In the context of an aging workforce, the construction site environment will face a challenging "aging-friendly transformation" process.
It is evident from the questionnaire survey results that labor workers generally have good health condition. However, as age increases, the probability and severity of illnesses show a noticeable rising trend. There is a noticeable decline in the number of laborers who opt to stay in the construction industry after the age of 50. The choice of occupations increases with laborers’ years of experience, and labor workers aged 50 and above prefer occupations with higher professionalism and lower repetitiveness.
To enhance the working environment, it is recommended that safety measures should be strengthened in locations such as "high places" and "underground." Ground debris and electrical leakage are the principal threats in underground locations, while in "high places", inadequate protection or physical discomfort pose safety risks. The probability of accidents at construction sites increases with age due to decreased physical strength and increased potential risks of their health conditions. Enhancing safety measures to protect those who are working at heights, such as using construction robots or non-manual techniques in dangerous positions, is recommended.
Since the majority of rooms in the dormitories can currently hold five to six people in each room, more toilets and showers should be provided in order to improve workers living conditions. Given the high workload and long walking distances, improving the living comfort of labor workers and ensuring their sleep and rest can significantly lower the risk of accidents. Previous studies have proven that a comfortable living space, both indoors and outdoors, can improve the physical and mental health conditions of workers, positively impacting their physical activities, lowering mental stress, and alleviating fatigue(Cao, Yang et al., 2024). Despite that the roads on the construction site are generally hardened, extra nighttime illumination should be added to the pathways leading from the construction site to the dormitories in order to protect workers, who are frequently exhausted at night. Based on the layout of construction sites in the four cities, the relationship between the living/office management areas and the construction areas can be classified into five types. The most commonly used design is the dispersed layout within the construction project boundary, which faces challenges in terms of limited land availability and complex safety management.
Additionally, there is a need for improvement in medical facilities. The questionnaire results show that as labor workers' aging problem becomes worse, their demand for medical services significantly increases. However, inadequate or insufficient medical facilities on construction sites often result in low utilization rates. Labor workers tend to prioritize seeking medical treatment at local hospitals or self-rest and self-medication. This may raise their medical expenses and delay medical treatment.
Furthermore, addressing the aging workforce issue can also be achieved through the rational allocation of job positions, the application and training of construction automation tools, the optimization of construction processes and techniques, and the digitalization of construction management, in addition to physical environmental improvements.
Further research will involve conducting additional interviews and tracking of labor workers' lives and work conditions on construction sites in order to refine the measures for improving the construction site environment.
Conceptualization, Wang XM , Wang Y; methodology,Wang XM, Su JH and He C; software, Wang XM and Su JH ; investigation, Wang XM，Su JH ，Liu L and Jin Y; resources, Chen C; data curation, Wang Y and Ma ZX ; writing—original draft preparation, Wang XM and Wang Y; writing—review and editing,Wang XM and Su JH; supervision,Wang Y and Wang YR ;All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of the paper.
