Work conditions and health risks of persons employed in construction in Latvia

The health effects of the work condition in construction were the focus for this study. The construction sector involves numerous risk factors, which can essentially endanger employee health and safety by causing accidents, occupational diseases and work-related diseases. The aim of this study was to examine the work condition, identity risk factors in the workplace, analyse the morbidity and accidents in the construction sector. According to the data of the State Revenue Service, the number of persons employed in construction in Latvia is growing each year. In the construction sector the number of accidents per 100 000 employees has tended to fall between 2003 and 2005, but the number of serious accidents has risen 1.3 times. Employees in construction companies are not sufficiently informed about the work environment risk factors and their influence on health and safety.