Based on increased longevity, the aging of the large post-war birth cohort born around 1950 and the subsequent smaller cohorts, it is predicted that the elderly proportion of populations will increase during the following decades in post-industrialized countries (An & Jeon, 2006; Edmonston, 2006).
In such a demographic prospect that leaves construction workers as one of the last occupational groups working under highly physically strained conditions, the amount of such workers that end up with reduced working ability, being long term absent or exiting the work-market prematurely, can be seen as a potential further challenge, which accrues to the general stressed socio-economic condition. One plausible cause for such lost or reduced working ability is occupational musculoskeletal deterioration (MD), which is defined here as accumulated musculoskeletal wear and tear. From the socio-economic to the personal level of those paying the highest price, these aspects unveil the highly negative impact of MD, and accentuate the importance of preventive measures in occupational functions in general, and in the construction industry in particular.
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