Impact of Hypoxic Plateau Environments on the Cognitive Abilities of Construction Workers: A Pilot Study

Cognitive processes are the basis for safe or unsafe behaviors of construction workers, and cognitive failure is a significant contributing factor to unsafe behaviors in this field. Exposure to the hypoxic plateau environment may impair the cognitive abilities of construction workers and increase the probability of their cognitive failure, thereby posing safety risks. However, it remains unclear how the hypoxic plateau environment affects the cognitive abilities of construction workers. To address this gap in knowledge, 5 practitioners involved in high-altitude construction were recruited and administered a cognitive ability test battery that assessed four cognitive abilities: sustained attention, selective attention, working memory, and executive ability. Participants completed a low-altitude baseline test and a plateau follow-up test. Our results indicate that altitude exposure has significant and widespread negative effects on all four cognitive abilities. While sustained attention, selective attention, and executive ability recovered rapidly with adaptation to the hypoxic environment, working memory ability remained impaired. Based on these findings, this study recommends ongoing cognitive workload monitoring for lowland construction practitioners entering the plateau for the first time to ensure their occupational safety and health. This study provides a basis and rationale for protecting and improving plateau construction practitioners’ occupational safety and health.