Effects of noise pollution in construction workers

Construction workers are exposed to typical risk factors such as noise pollution, high stress, and insufficient sleep. However, it remains unclear whether these hazards have an impact on the fatigue state or cognitive abilities of occupational populations. This study investigates the occurrence and distribution characteristics of fatigue and cognitive status among construction workers and explores relevant influencing factors. We conducted facility construction occupational workers as the study population and collected 3 types of data, including occupational health records, questionnaire measurements, and computer program tests. Occupational fatigue and cognitive decline levels of construction workers were assessed after the work cycle. The study included 114 male construction workers meeting the screening criteria, with a mean age of 28.0 ± 7.2 years. 42.11% of the construction workers were engaged in high-noise exposure (85 A-weighted decibels over an 8-hour period). Questionnaire results showed that after one work cycle, 24 (21.05%) and 28 (24.56%) were in a state of high depression or anxiety, respectively, and 32 were diagnosed with a state of high stress. Occupational fatigue was observed in 70 (61.40%), and cognitive decline was determined in 34 (29.82%). A univariate analysis revealed that participants who smoked, drank alcohol, had high seniority, and high noise exposure was at high risk of developing occupational fatigue. Trial participants with high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, short sleep duration, long working hours, and high noise exposure were more likely to experience cognitive decline. Further multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that high noise exposure had a significant effect on occupational fatigue (OR = 3.2, P < 0.01) and that high noise exposure and insufficient sleep (<6 hours) had a synergistic effect on cognitive decline. This study demonstrated that high noise exposure increased the health risks of fatigue and cognitive decline in construction workers, and there was synergistic effect between noise exposure and insufficient sleep.