More than 90 per cent of construction workers admit to working when they were physically injured or unwell…
Pressures on construction workers to pay the bills has pushed many to head to jobs when they should not have done so.
New research from trade insurance specialist constructaquote.com found significant numbers of workers admitted they had worked despite not being fit for the job.
The poll of 2,384 adults aged 25 and over found 47 per cent of workers were not entitled to sick or injury pay, as they worked on a freelance, contracted and/or self-employed basis. An additional 21 per cent revealed they did not know what the rules were with their current employer.
Respondents were asked if they had ever gone to work while ill or with an injury that they knew would make it impossible for them to work to a high enough standard. A staggering 91 per cent said they had done so at least once before.
These respondents were then further questioned as to why they had decided to work despite being unfit to do so. A total of 72 per cent said they needed to pay their bills, 61 per cent said they did not realise how unwell they were until they arrived at work, and 53 per cent said they did not want to risk losing their job.
Other popular reasons included not wanting to be viewed as too old for the job by younger colleagues (21 per cent) and the belief they would feel better when at work (14 per cent).
CEO and founder of constructaquote.com Lyndon Wood said: “Whilst it may be easier for those working in office-based jobs to ‘power through’ and continue to work whilst struck down with illness or injury; for those working in the high-pressured and manual construction sector, it is going to have a harsher effect and be far harder to keep going. As a result, it’s extremely worrying to see the results of this study.
“Not only are those willing to work when ill clearly anxious about keeping their jobs and worried about potential replacement, they also make sure their families don’t suffer as a result of their personal situation.
“Perhaps these results indicate that more needs to be done when it comes to helping hardworking individuals feel secure in their employment after years of dedicated service to a particular industry.”