The State of Youth Health in Ghana’s Construction Industry (Physical Health)

Research shows that the rapid and dynamic pace of work, the high-risk nature of tasks, the use of harmful materials and dangerous equipment, and other issues such as heavy workload expose the construction workforce to significant physical risks which significantly affect their physical health. This is particularly severe in the case of young construction workers because they are still undergoing physical, emotional, mental, social, and professional development. Many young construction workers are either seasonal workers or immigrants with low levels of education, training, and experience, and have little understanding of safety issues.

This makes them less compliant with safety procedures and more likely to take unreasonable risks2. Also, due to the stage of their physical development, many young workers have higher respiratory and metabolic rates per unit of body weight than older adults, and this makes their bodies absorb more toxins and undergo extreme reactions in the process. Young people are therefore more likely to suffer impairment of their hormonal systems, reproductive systems, and brain functions3.