Workers are an important factor in the implementation of a construction project. Applying ergonomic postures for workers in the projects is necessary to minimize the risk of work accidents and the risk of experiencing musculoskeletal disorders (MsDs). The use of lightweight brick for wall construction is relatively new and is in great demand by construction industries in Indonesia. During wall construction, workers do repetitive activities such as bending, kneeling, holding tools, or tilting the body. These activities potentially increase the risk of injury and musculoskeletal disorders. This study aims to assess the work posture of workers on the wall construction using lightweight brick and to analyze the high-risk activities. The wall construction work assessment included five stages of activities, (1) material transfer, (2) practical columns making and installation, (3) lightweight brick adhesive dough-making process, (4) lightweight bricks laying, and (5) lightweight brick plaster. The Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) method was used to evaluate the working posture. This method was developed to investigate the risk of abnormalities that workers will potentially experience. Based on the RULA employee assessment worksheet, the research results showed that 69% of workers have a high-risk level of work posture and 31% have low-risk levels of work posture. There are three activities with a high-risk level, namely, material transfer, lightweight brick laying, and lightweight brick plaster. At the same time, practical column making and installation work and lightweight brick adhesive dough-making processes are at a low-risk level. According to the RULA risk level, action is required to investigate and immediately improve activities with a high-risk level. If workers continue to work with the same posture, they will be at risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders related to the neck, trunk, and wrists in the near future. Correcting the worker’s posture can be done by improving work position, process, and workplace layout.
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This research adopts a social constructionist perspective and utilizes qualitative inquiry with a generative approach (McNamee, Gergen, Camargo-Borges, Rasera, 2020). The focus lies on collaborative efforts between the researcher and trafficking survivors, aiming to mutually shape and understand the experiences of trafficking, while fostering relational agency. The aim is to co-construct a relational space in which counter-narratives on victimization can be generated. Ten interviews were carried out with women survivors of trafficking at the Anti-Trafficking System of the N.A.Ve Project (Veneto Region AntiTrafficking Network). These women were from different nationalities and experiences of exploitation. We referred to the principles of Appreciative Inquiry, and formulated an episodic interview (Flick, 2023) composed by circular and reflexive questions, as well as generative questions inspired by the items of the Post Traumatic Growth Inventory(Romaioli, 2022). The critical reflexivity of the researcher and the research team was enhanced through an autoethnography and reflection work. A reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2022) was performed on the gathered textual material, generating five themes: resources/strengths, relationships, future, helpful aspects, momentary feelings.This inquiry illustrates the potentials offered by a methodology inspired by a social constructionist perspective with a generative approach.
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From the article: Abstract. This exploratory and conceptual article sets out to research what arguments and possibilities for experimentation in construction exists and if experimentation can contribute towards more innovative construction as a whole. Traditional, -western- construction is very conservative and regional, often following a traditional and linear design process, which focuses on front-loaded cost savings and repetitive efficiency, rather than securing market position through innovation. Thus becoming a hindrance for the development of the sector as a whole. Exploring the effects of using the, in other design-sectors commonly and successfully practiced, “four-phased iterative method” in architectural construction could be the start of transforming the conservative construction industry towards a more innovative construction industry. The goal of this research is to find whether the proposed strategy would indeed result in a higher learning curve and more innovation during the - architectural- process. Preliminary research indicates that there is argumentation for a more experimental approach to construction.
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