Importance of Prefabrication to Easing Construction Workers’ Experience of Mental Health Stressors

Abstract

Construction is widely acknowledged for its socioeconomic contributions, although it is also always considered as a dangerous and incident-prone industry. As a new method of working, prefabrication presents better work environments and other benefits that can potentially improve the safety and mental health of construction workers. This study compares the extent of stressors in traditional and prefabricated construction. Eighty-four construction site and factory-based workers in Australia were surveyed. Prefabricated construction respondents reported less experience of industry-related, management/organisational, and personal stressors. Specifically, the stressors found to be weakened by prefabrication were mental fatigue, work injuries, poor working conditions, unfavourable shift rosters, work overload, and poor work–life balance. Furthermore, the degree of the experience of potential mental health improvement factors such as labour effort efficiency, reduced on-site trade overlap, increased mechanised construction, and less dependence on weather conditions, among others, was significantly higher in prefabrication than in traditional construction. The influence of prefabrication on measures of poor and positive mental health is recommended for further studies, particularly by finding its links with the different groups of construction workers.