Browsing by Author "Markham, Steven"

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    Constructing better health and wellbeing? Understanding structural constraints on promoting health and wellbeing in the UK Construction Industry
    (Emerald, 2019-04-26) Hanna, Esmee; Markham, Steven
    The construction industry has high rates of work related ill health and early retirement due to stress, injury and illness. Whilst there have been more recent calls for a ‘health like safety’ narrative within the industry, health has still predominantly been viewed via health risks rather than a more holistic conceptualisation of health and wellbeing. The workplace is viewed as a fruitful site for health promotion work, yet we know little about the possibilities and promise of health promotion and health improvement work within the construction industry. This paper explores the views of stakeholders with health-related roles and responsibilities within the construction industry to examine their views of the landscape of the construction industry and its relationship to the health and wellbeing of the workforce. Through exploring two key themes; the construction industry as anti-health promoting and understanding industry specific health issues, greater insight into the challenges that exist within construction for promoting positive employee health and wellbeing are explored. The unique insights of those ‘inside’ the industry provides a clear exposition of the challenges faced by those seeking to construct better health and wellbeing and we argue that only through understanding the structural constraints of the industry in this way can the possibilities and potentials for undertaking health promotion work be fully embedded within the industry in order to help create meaningful change for both employees and the industry as a whole.
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    Masculinities in the construction industry: A double-edged sword for health and wellbeing?
    (Wiley, 2019-01-16) Hanna, Esmee; Gough, Brendan; Markham, Steven
    Construction remains a male-dominated industry and men in construction suffer high rates of illness and injury compared to other industries. Consideration of men and masculinities may support any attempt to maintain and promote the health and wellbeing of construction workers. This paper discusses qualitative case study research conducted with stakeholders in the UK construction industry around health and wellbeing. Our thematic analysis highlights how masculinities operate to both inhibit and promote healthy practices. On the one hand, a culture of stoicism pertaining to illness or injury was evident, whilst a competitive ethos between occupational groups was observed to increase risk-taking and poor health choices. However, interviewees identified homosocial camaraderie and respect for lived experience as a means to promote positive health behaviour. Differences between younger and older generations of employees were noted. Overall, we argue that men’s work and associated health practices can be understood as ‘rational’ individualised responses to structural deregulation and insecurity within the construction industry. Keywords
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    Shed Talk: Discourses of men and masculinities in the context of a men’s shed.
    (Palgrave Macmillan, 2023-10-31) Markham, Steven; Hanna, Esmee
    This chapter discusses the language and discourse of participants of UK men’s sheds. Men’s sheds are community-based venues, welcoming male participants to engage in manual work and to socialise with peers. They contain space, machinery, tools and materials to facilitate meaningful occupation with wood, metal, electrical and/or mechanical items. Whilst often attracted to the physical resources men’s sheds offer, subsidiary benefits of participation include social interaction, learning, improved mood, enhanced well-being and increased confidence. Discourses were captured as part of data generated for an investigation to elucidate how and why men’s sheds maintain and enhance participant health and wellbeing. Secondary analysis of data from three men’s sheds explores ways in which men communicate in these ‘gender sensitive’ environments. Through this exploration, the chapter exemplifies different interpretations of language and demonstrates the importance of understanding contexts of speaker’s background, socialisation, and turns of phrase, when considering men’s meaning. Hegemonic interpretations or gender normative assumptions could be constructed from the discourses. However, understanding the way men talk, and their intentions and meanings, illuminates the current importance of gender-sensitive interventions and how their importance might diminish for future generations of men.