We found that among two distinctly different construction occupations more than half of the workers suffer from MSDs in one or more body region. Among the bricklayers, two-thirds of the population reports two or more complaints. Furthermore, approximately 40% of the workers in both occupations report that that they experience many problems during work due to their MSDs, irrespective of their occupation. This suggests that MSDs should be considered a priority in occupational preventive healthcare, irrespective of the type of occupation.
Based on our results, a job-specific approach should be considered. In the first place, bricklayers report that their MSDs are work-related twice as often (81%) as supervisors. As a consequence, our results indicate that the following activities should be targeted for ergonomic improvement among bricklayers: carrying and lifting, working with a bent back and working above shoulder height. For construction supervisors, the activities ‘standing’ and ‘walking across the construction site’ deserve attention among workers with MSDs.