Research Symposium

BIO

I am an FSU student who is on the Pre-Physician's Assistant track, and my research interests are in limiting social injustices that affect underprivileged communities along with diseases that affect said communities.

Investigating the Relationship Between Working Fast and the Risk of Injury in Latin American Construction Workers

Abstract

Purpose/Background:
Small-scale Latin American residential construction workers have among the highest rates of injury/ fatality. Looking at transcripts of conversations with construction workers, and contractors we find that some causes behind these injuries is because of working fast. The study aims to look at why small-scale Latin American residential construction workers work fast and how they are attributed to increased injury and fatality.
Methods:
In the Ponte Listo project, qualitative semi-structured interviews were undertaken with n=5 Latino contractors and n=4 Latino construction workers. Interviews were recorded and transcribed. Interviews were coded independently with a set of UROP students as primary and secondary coders which were then discussed to find discrepancies.
Results:
Both contractors and workers had similar explanations as to why construction workers worked “fast”. Many alluded to other outside “pressure” such as having to work “fast” in order to make more money to take care of their families and “send money back home”.
Discussion:
Small-scale residential construction companies usually have contractors that hire workers and the amount of money that they receive is based on how much they get done during the day. Unlike large companies that pay their employee by the hour. Since small-scale residential construction workers are paid by the amount of square footage completed. They have little incentive to take time to put on safety equipment or spend time going to seminars, which takes away the time from finishing a job

Keywords: Latino, construction, fatality, fast