Construction workers put their health at risk

A new study has revealed three quarters of people will risk their health because of work commitments, with construction workers among the worst offenders…

Construction workers are more likely to risk their health because of work commitments than other sectors, according to a new study.

The study, which was carried out on behalf of UK-based medical website MedExpress, revealed that three quarters of workers in Britain will put their health at risk because of their career commitments. The sectors at the highest risk of avoiding doctors’ appointments due to work commitments were marketing and media, construction, health, and food and hospitality.

The research polled around 2,129 adults aged between 18 and 65. All participants worked full time and were asked a number of questions to determine how highly they ranked their health in regards to other aspects of their life.

Respondents were asked when they had last visited their local doctors’ surgery to see either their GP or practice nurse. The results revealed the average time was eight months.

A total of 62 per cent of participants reported they had waited over two weeks to see a doctor when they last booked an appointment.  Eighteen per cent said they had cancelled their appointment due to the wait, as their health had improved during that time.

Around 90 per cent also said they had been forced to cancel or decline an appointment because of work. Reasons given for this included work commitments, with over three quarters (76 per cent) citing this, while 19 per cent said childcare was a factor.

On average respondents revealed they had missed three appointments within the past year, with 22 per cent admitting they had a problem that needed immediate treatment and became serious.

Additionally, 59 per cent said they had failed to collect a prescription. Of this number, 72 per cent said it was due to their pharmacy only being open during work hours.

Construction came in second in the top five sectors that put their job before their health, at eight per cent. It was beat by marketing and media (14 per cent).

Spokesperson for MedExpress.co.uk Michael Ross said: “Work is obviously an extremely important aspect of our lives; it is after all our primary source of income and allows us to contribute to society.

“However sacrificing something as important as your health can be detrimental and will no doubt have a negative effect on your career in the long term.

“Bosses and those in charge should be more lenient with time spent off for health reasons.

“People cannot help being ill and should be able to seek medical help when they need it and definitely should not feel forced to have to wait to see if their body starts mending itself.

“The most shocking fact we learnt from these findings is that even healthcare professionals risk their own health because of their long working hours and inability to get time off.

“These people should always take into consideration that for those with particularly hectic lives, there are services for existing prescriptions to be delivered to you so you don’t further risk your well-being.”