Mount Sinai - Irving J. Selikoff Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine

Construction Hygiene and Ergonomics Program (CHEP)

More Information about the Construction Hygiene and Ergonomics Program (CHEP)

Construction work is dangerous.

Each day, falls, trench cave-ins, electrocutions, motor vehicles, and other equipment hazards kill four construction workers on the job. Thousands more are injured.

Less obvious dangers like exposures to toxic materials, noise, and ergonomic hazards take a great toll on worker health. Occupational disease can result in permanent disability, premature retirement with loss of income, and early death. Families of construction workers are also at risk when contaminants are carried home on work clothes and equipment.

• Construction workers make up less than six percent of the workforce but account for 20 percent of all job-related deaths and 17 percent of workers' compensation costs.
• Over 75 toxic agents, including asbestos, lead, silica, and solvents, have been identified on construction sites
• Nationwide, almost a million construction workers are exposed to lead
• 90 percent of NYC area adults with elevated lead levels are construction workers
• More than 100,000 construction workers are exposed to high levels of silica
• 10 percent of all deaths form silicosis are among construction workers
• More than 500,000 construction workers are exposed to hazardous noise levels 40 percent of all lost time injuries in construction are musculo-skeletal injuries

Construction Hygiene and Ergonomics Program (CHEP)

CHEP is a special research program of The Mount Sinai-Irving J. Selikoff Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Mount Sinai has been a leader in occupational health research for many years and has made important discoveries about asbestos and lead hazards in the building trades. Today, research efforts are focused on finding solutions to occupational health problems in construction.

Construction stakeholders - contractors, workers, unions, owners, insurance companies and public health organizations - actively participate in the design, implementation and evaluation of research projects. The CHEP research program is supported through a cooperative agreement between the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the Center to Protect Workers' Rights.

Current research projects include:

• Blueprint for Controlling Health Hazards in Construction
• Assessment of silica control technology during concrete demolition
• Substitution controls for solvents
• Survey of medical surveillance programs in construction

Technical Assistance and Resources

The Construction Hygiene and Ergonomics Program also provides health and safety technical assistance and educational resources to employees, unions, employers, project owners, and communities. Results from research studies are disseminated through written materials, presentations, and training sessions to the construction and public health communities. Occupational medical services are available through the clinical center.

• Worker protection programs
• Information on engineering controls
• Respirator programs
• Medical surveillance programs
• Educational materials
• Working with Lead on Bridges
• Working with Lead in Buildings
• Lead Control Guide for Bridges and Steel Structures
• Silica Fact Sheet
• Training services
• Speakers available for meetings and conferences
• Site-specific training for lead, silica, and respiratory protection

Contact Us

Construction Hygiene and Ergonomics Program (CHEP)
One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1057
New York, NY 10029
Tel: (212) 241-7573
Fax: (212) 987-6407