THE LAS-OF-HEALTH-AND-WORKING-CONDITIONS-BY-OCCUPATION .2. A COMPARISON WITH THE ND-WORKING-CONDITIONS-IN-THE-CONSTRUCTION-INDUSTRY

The results of the general Atlas of Health and Working Conditions by O ccupation were compared with the results of the Atlas of Health and Wo rking Conditions in the Construction Industry. Both are based on quest ionnaire data from periodical occupational health surveys [POHSs]. The scores on most of the items showed considerable differences between t he two atlases, partly due to differences in the regional origin of th e data. Therefore, direct comparisons between the atlases are biased b y regional differences. To study the reliability and the generalizabil ity of the results of both atlases, similarities between the data file s with respect to occupations in the construction industry were studie d. Most of the items on working conditions, especially those with a wi despread distribution, showed a close resemblance between the data fil es in terms of the relative position of an occupation compared to othe r occupations in the construction industry. The items on health showed less resemblance, except for the items on musculoskeletal complaints, which showed results similar to those of the work items. These result s indicate the reliability and generalizability of the judgements base d on both atlases outside the regions of origin, as far as items with a widespread distribution are concerned. Therefore, we recommend the a ggregation of POHS data on a national scale, laking regional differenc es into account. In that way, a greater number of occupations will be described and the reliability of the results will be enhanced.