Integration of Total Worker Health ® Training for Occupational Health and Safety Professionals With Efforts to Promote Worker Health, Safety, and Well-being in Mexico

OBJECTIVE

We sought to test whether a 2-week Total Worker Health (TWH) training mapped to TWH education competencies could be administered to a Mexican audience of occupational safety and health professionals and could lead to positive changes to knowledge and behaviors.

METHODS

This study used robust program evaluation methods collected before and after each of the nine training days and at the end of the course.

RESULTS

Overall course quality received a mean score of 4.6 (SD = 0.6) and 98.8% of participants agreed that their TWH knowledge increased. All participants intended to make at least one change to their professional practice, most frequently helping companies assess their organizational culture to support health, safety, and well-being.

CONCLUSIONS

This TWH training was well received and led to positive self-reported increase in knowledge and abilities to influence workers' health, safety, and well-being.

Identification of critical industry skills in an industrial hygiene graduate training program

Graduates of industrial hygiene training (IH) programs must be able to meet continuously evolving health and safety needs in a wide variety of occupational settings. Therefore, academic IH graduate programs must regularly evaluate their curricula and solicit input from industry professionals to make curricular changes that will better prepare their students for professional roles in industry. The purpose of this study was to identify the training gaps that existed between industry needs and the current curriculum for a United States-accredited IH graduate training program. The research team facilitated two group interviews with the IH program advisory board, collected alumni survey data, and performed a qualitative analysis to identify skills gaps/needs for the IH Program graduates. The research team identified 3 themes from participant interviews and alumni surveys (technical, applied, and essential skills) and selected several skills within each theme that interview participants thought were necessary proficiencies for junior IH professionals. The skills identified in the qualitative interview and survey data can be incorporated into the curriculum to improve the training of IH graduate students. Additionally, by using qualitative analysis, the researchers uncovered essential skills previously unidentified in IH needs assessments, providing valuable information for all IH graduate programs.

Promoting good and sustainable work in occupational health education

BACKGROUND

The world of work is facing severe challenges due to rapid technological change, globalization, climate change and, more recently, the Covid-19 pandemic. Occupational health professionals must deal with these challenges, but it is unclear how well they have been prepared for this task by their academic training programmes.

AIMS

To explore content and learning objectives related to these challenges in the curricula of Occupational Medicine (OM) and Occupational Safety, Industrial Hygiene and Ergonomics (OSH), we conducted an online survey among academic leaders of these programmes in universities of several European countries. In addition, related programmes in Human Resource Management (HRM) training were included.

METHODS

Selected study programmes were explored in terms of the main topics and learning objectives related to the challenges for promoting good and sustainable work in universities in Europe. The study programmes were identified through contacts with professional associations and a website search. Given the exploratory, non-representative study design, data analysis was limited to description.

RESULTS

OM and OSH programmes addressed the above challenges to a very limited extent, except for their disciplinary approach to work-related diseases and injuries. In contrast, HRM programmes were dealing more extensively with globalization, climate change and digitisation.

CONCLUSIONS

Significant limitations of knowledge and competences in dealing with the key challenges of the modern world of work were identified. More relational, ethical and interdisciplinary learning is needed in these programmes, addressing core issues of today's world of work.

Effectiveness and usability of real-time vibrotactile feedback training to reduce postural exposure in real manual sorting work

Vibrotactile feedback training may be used as a complementary strategy to reduce time in demanding postures in manual handling. This study evaluated the short- and medium-term effects of concurrent posture-correction vibrotactile feedback training on trunk inclination exposure in real manual sorting work. Fifteen warehouse workers completed the training and the follow-up sessions. Trunk inclination angles were recorded using the ambulatory Smart Workwear System. Questionnaires were used for assessing system usability, perceived physical exertion, and work ability. The results showed reduced time in trunk inclination >30°, >45°, and >60°, and reductions in the 90th, 95th, and 99th percentile trunk inclination angles, when receiving feedback and immediately after feedback withdrawal. No significant reduction was retained after one and three weeks. The wearer's comfort was scored high, and the feedback did not increase the perceived cognitive demands. No significant effects attributed to changed trunk inclination exposure were observed for perceived physical exertion or work ability. The training program has the potential of contributing to reduced trunk inclination exposure in the short term. Future studies are needed to evaluate if improvements in the feedback training can transfer the short-term results to retained median- and long-term effects.Practitioner summary: A two-day training program with concurrent posture-correction vibrotactile feedback can contribute to reduced exposure of trunk inclination in real manual sorting work in the short term. More research is needed on how to design the feedback training programs in order to be effective in the long term.

Expanding the Focus of Occupational Safety and Health: Lessons from a Series of Linked Scientific Meetings

There is widespread recognition that the world of work is changing, and agreement is growing that the occupational safety and health (OSH) field must change to contribute to the protection of workers now and in the future. Discourse on the evolution of OSH has been active for many decades, but formalized support of an expanded focus for OSH has greatly increased over the past 20 years. Development of approaches such as the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)'s Total Worker Health® concept and the World Health Organization (WHO)'s Healthy Workplace Framework are concrete examples of how OSH can incorporate a new focus with a wider view. In 2019, NIOSH initiated a multi-year effort to explore an expanded focus for OSH. This paper is a report on the outputs of a three-year cooperative agreement between NIOSH and The University of Texas School of Public Health, which led to subject matter expert workshops in 2020 and an international conference of global interest groups in 2021. This article traces the background of these meetings and identifies and assesses the lessons learned. It also reviews ten thematic topics that emerged from the meetings: worker health inequalities; training new OSH professionals; future OSH research and practice; tools to measure well-being of workers; psychosocial hazards and adverse mental health effects; skilling, upskilling and improving job quality; socioeconomic influences; climate change; COVID-19 pandemic influences; and strategic foresight. Cross-cutting these themes is the need for systems and transdisciplinary thinking and operationalization of the concept of well-being to prepare the OSH field for the work of the future.

Occupational exposures in the operating room: Are surgeons well-equipped?

Background

Occupational health hazards are ubiquitously found in the operating room, guaranteeing an inevitable risk of exposure to the surgeon. Although provisions on occupational health and safety in healthcare exist, they do not address non-traditional hazards found in the operating room. In order to determine whether surgeons or trainees receive any form of occupational health training, we examine the associations between occupational health training and exposure rate.

Study design

A cross-sectional survey was distributed. Respondent characteristics included academic level, race/ethnicity, and gender. The survey evaluated seven surgical disciplines and 13 occupational hazards. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the association between academic level, surgical specialty, and exposure rate.

Results

Our cohort of 183 respondents (33.1% response rate) consisted of attendings (n = 72, 39.3%) and trainees (n = 111, 60.7%). Surgical trainees were less likely to have been trained in cytotoxic drugs (OR 0.22, p<0.001), methylmethacrylate (OR 0.15, p<0.001), patient lifting (OR 0.43, p = 0.009), radiation (OR 0.40, p = 0.007), and surgical smoke (OR 0.41, p = 0.041) than attending surgeons. Additionally, trainees were more likely to experience frequent exposure to bloodborne pathogens (OR 5.26, p<0.001), methylmethacrylate (OR 2.86, p<0.001), cytotoxic drugs (OR 3.03, p<0.001), and formaldehyde (2.08, p = 0.011), to name a few.

Conclusion

Although surgeon safety is not a domain in residency training, standardized efforts to educate and change the culture of safety in residency programs is warranted. Our study demonstrates a disparity between trainees and attendings with a recommendation to provide formal training to trainees independent of their anticipated risk of exposure.

Website Survey Method for Assessing Higher Education Employee Health and Safety Programs

OBJECTIVE

The higher education industry in the United States is large (almost four million employees and 19 million students) with diverse hazards.

METHODS

We apply a novel health services research approach to systematically assess a sample of 55 institutional websites. The accessibility, content, and coverage of occupational health/safety program information were systematically coded for several domains (eg, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)-related, specific hazards, clinical, person-oriented, COVID-19, and coverage).

RESULTS

Information was more available for programs related to OSHA mandates (eg, chemical hygiene) and specific hazards than for person-oriented programs (eg, counseling). Larger institutions provide better information and more comprehensive programs than smaller institutions.

CONCLUSIONS

Higher education institutions warrant increasing attention to occupational health and safety, particularly as COVID-19 increased attention to workplace health issues.

Occupational health nurses' personal attitudes toward smoking: A cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to investigate if experience in smoking intervention training influences attitudes toward smoking, discuss the role of health management programs of small- and medium-sized enterprises, and analyze the current attitude of occupational health nurses regarding the hazards of smoking and responsibility to smokers to effectively facilitate smoking cessation support programs.

METHODS

We conducted an anonymous self-administered cross-sectional survey of 108 nurses employed in occupational health services outsourcing specialized agency in Korea. We assessed the difference in attitude about smoking according to training experience in smoking interventions and perceived competence in counseling smokers using chi-square test and Fisher's exact test.

RESULTS

Occupational health nurses with the training experience of smoking interventions tend to perceive the harmful effects of smoking more seriously, compared to occupational health nurses without the training experience (P = .024, Fisher's exact test) and the OHSO nurses with the training experience tend to have professional ethics as health care professionals (P = .017, Fisher's exact test). Occupational health nurses having expertise in smoking cessation counseling tended to have professional ethics (P = .047, Fisher's exact test) and social responsibility as health care professionals (P = .022, Fisher's exact test).

CONCLUSION

The occupational health nurses with training experience and expertise in smoking cessation counseling perceive the harmful effects of smoking more strongly and can enhance their professional ethics and social responsibility as health care professionals.

Occupational Safety and Health Training for Undergraduates Nursing Students: A Spanish Pilot

Most of blood borne and airborne pathogens are highly contagious, harmful and have prevalence among healthcare workers. In this group, healthcare students, especially nursing undergraduates, have even higher risk to be exposed and suffered a contagious accident. One of the main pillars to prevent exposure to such pathogens and decrease accidents seems to be through education. A prospective observational educational research focused on quantifying the students' knowledge, and prevention culture was carried out. The educational approach based on the development of a technological tool, its integration in the students' education, and posterior assessment. The Chi-square, ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis, Man-Whitney U, and Spearman correlations were used to determine the effect of such educational methodology. The results, previous to the integration of the educational approach, showed differences between the elementary and proficient knowledge and correct procedure in each academic year (p < 0.05), being the best year the third academic year. The mean of elementary knowledge among second year students after the inclusion of the educational methodology improved for 2017/2018 with a mean of 7.5 (1.11) and in 2018/2019 with 7.87 (1.34). This study argued that the educational approach proposed could improve the prevention culture and knowledge among students and future healthcare professionals.

Analysis of coal mine occupational disease hazard evaluation index based on AHP-DEMATEL

The main purpose to analysis the occupational-disease-inductive index in coal mine is to protect the life and health of the workers and reduce the losses caused by it. According to the occupational-disease-inductive factors "produce source-cause factors-function object" to analyze the whole process of occupational disease hazard control in coal mine, determined the occupational-disease-inductive factors cause of coal mine. Then, the occupational disease hazard of coal mine based on the energy release cause model was established, built the evaluation index system of coal mine occupational disease hazard. The AHP-DEMATEL evaluation model was used to analyze the indicators. Combined with the application of case study, the evaluation results were in good agreement with the actual situation of occupational hazard management in coal mines. It indicated that the indicator system has a strong generalization and adaptability.

Occupational health in developing countries - a massive open online course

In 2015 the University of Bergen launched the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) Occupational Health in Developing Countries. The objective of this study is to describe the geographic and demographic diversity of the course participants, as well as the course participation activity with emphasis on low- and middle-income country (LMIC) learners. All data on MOOC participation were provided by the MOOC platform FutureLearn. Out of totally 5866 registrants, 72.4% attended from a LMIC geo-location, and 71.9% of the 768 course completers were LMIC residents. Most of the participants were young, well-educated and employed. Most were employed within the health and social sector. The gender distribution was almost equal, except from a higher female non-completer proportion, especially among LMIC participants. The MOOC succeeded in reaching its LMIC target group.

How Will the Future of Work Shape the OSH Professional of the Future? A Workshop Summary

Rapid and profound changes anticipated in the future of work will have significant implications for the education and training of occupational safety and health (OSH) professionals and the workforce. As the nature of the workplace, work, and the workforce change, the OSH field must expand its focus to include existing and new hazards (some yet unknown), consider how to protect the health and well-being of a diverse workforce, and understand and mitigate the safety implications of new work arrangements. Preparing for these changes is critical to developing proactive systems that can protect workers, prevent injury and illness, and promote worker well-being. An in-person workshop held on February 3–4, 2020 at The University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHealth) School of Public Health in Houston, Texas, USA, examined some of the challenges and opportunities OSH education will face in both academic and industry settings. The onslaught of the COVID-19 global pandemic reached the United States one month after this workshop and greatly accelerated the pace of change. This article summarizes presentations from national experts and thought leaders across the spectrum of OSH and professionals in the fields of strategic foresight, systems thinking, and industry, and provides recommendations for the field.

The RAMP package for MSD risk management in manual handling - A freely accessible tool, with website and training courses

In this paper the RAMP Package is presented with the objective to facilitate the application of the RAMP tool to systematically manage MSD risks. The package consists of the RAMP tool (Risk Assessment and Management tool for manual handling Proactively), the RAMP website, and free, globally available online, training courses (MOOCs). An Action module used for managing identified MSD risks is introduced. The tool, encompassing a wide range of risks, is applicable to the whole risk management process. Furthermore, RAMP is openly available for download, and free to use. The RAMP tool and training materials were developed using a participative iterative methodology including researchers and practitioners. RAMP was downloaded in 86 countries in the first 26 months since its' launch and over 2400 learners from high-, middle- and low-income countries have joined the MOOCs. The RAMP Package meets organisations' needs for an accessible, comprehensive risk assessment and management tool.

A qualitative investigation of factors affecting school district administrators' decision to adopt a national young worker curriculum

INTRODUCTION

Even though the majority of youth in the U.S. work, and workers under the age of 18 are seriously injured on the job at higher rates when compared to adults, most adolescents lack instruction on workplace safety and health.

METHOD

This qualitative study examines the extent to which selected U.S. school districts provide workplace safety and health instruction to students and explores the factors that influence districts' decision to adopt a free, foundational occupational safety and health (OSH) curriculum.

RESULTS

Results from key informant interviews conducted with a purposive sample of 34 school administrators revealed that only a third of the districts have at least 75% of their students receive some instruction on workplace safety and health, while 15% indicated they provide no instruction on this topic. District staff who indicated that they provide OSH instruction stated that it is most often taught through career and technical education (CTE; 65%) and/or health classes (26%). They believed the benefits of providing this instruction include assisting students to get jobs (38%) and helping students learn about safety (32%), while competing demands (44%) and time constraints (41%) were identified as barriers to providing OSH education to students.

CONCLUSIONS

Given the importance of work to teens and their increased risk of work injury, interested stakeholders-including parents, teachers, employers, and the public health community-should promote the inclusion of workplace safety and health instruction in U.S. secondary schools. Practical Applications: This research fills a gap in current knowledge about the extent to which OSH is currently taught within U.S. secondary schools, enumerates barriers and facilitators to the inclusion of workplace safety and health instruction in schools, presents a free, foundational curriculum in workplace safety and health, and provides directions for future research on the vital role schools can play in preparing the future workforce for safe and healthy employment.

Agricultural Safety Comic Book for Latinx Migrant Families: Development and Evaluation

INTRODUCTION

Comic books and graphic novels have been used in health education. The youth of migrant and seasonal agricultural workers are highly vulnerable to the health hazards associated with agricultural work and the migrant workers' itinerant home environment.

METHOD

The purpose of the study was to create a bilingual, culturally specific educational comic book to inform families of safety issues in youth hand-harvesting agricultural work and provide anticipatory guidance safety tips for agricultural work camp residence. In a mixed-methods design, a multistate and multidisciplinary team used focus groups to obtain the voice of potential users regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the comic book prototype and scales on satisfaction, helpfulness, and usability.

RESULTS

Focus group participants contributed constructive criticism to modify the prototype. Quantitative surveys found the comic book to be satisfactory, helpful, and highly usable.

DISCUSSION

This report describes the steps in the creation of the comic book that can be used for health promotion education.

Interactive tools for safety 4.0: virtual ergonomics and serious games in real working contexts

This paper presents an innovative safety training method based on digital ergonomics simulations and serious games, which are games that focus on education. Digital ergonomics is intended to disseminate the culture of safety among workers, while serious games are used to train the operators on specific safety procedures and verify their skills. The results of the experimentation in a real industrial environment showed that, compared to the traditional training methodology, multimedia contents and quantitative ergonomic analyses improve the level of attention and the awareness of the workers about their own safety. However, serious games turned out to be promising training tools with regard to standard operating procedures that are usually difficult or dangerous to simulate in a real working scenario without stopping production. Practitioner summary: Digital ergonomics and serious games are used to disseminate the culture of safety among the workers and for safety training. Our results show that the proposed methodology improves the level of attention and provides a better feedback about the actual skills of the workers than the standard educational strategies. Abbreviations.

The use of actor-based immersive health and safety inductions: Lessons from the Thames Tideway Tunnel megaproject

Health and safety inductions are ubiquitous in construction but tend to be poorly designed and suffer low levels of worker engagement. In this paper we report on the evaluation of an innovative, full day, actor-based health and safety induction called EPIC, currently being used on London's Thames Tideway Tunnel megaproject. As of March 2019, more than 14,000 individuals had attended EPIC. This evaluation examines the impact of EPIC from the perspective of participants and other stakeholders, and considers the utility of actor-based immersive health and safety inductions for use more widely, in both construction and other sectors. Using a mixed-method, longitudinal approach to data collection, EPIC is evaluated against Kirkpatrick's (1959) 'four levels' framework of reactions, learning, behaviour change and results. This paper discusses factors which support and hinder actor-based inductions, and the challenges involved in assessing the impact of inductions on subsequent behaviour and health and safety outcomes.

Leadership skills for strengthening jobsite safety climate

INTRODUCTION

Construction foremen may lack the leadership skills needed to create a strong jobsite safety climate. Many construction companies address this by sending their lead workers to the OSHA 30-h course; however the course does not include a leadership training module. This article describes the development and pilot testing of such a module and evaluation surveys designed to address this training gap.

METHODS

A 17-member curriculum development team, numerous subject matter experts, and an instructional design company helped us develop a comprehensive set of teaching resources and a set of survey instruments for evaluating the materials' effectiveness on improving safety leadership and safety climate. All materials and surveys were pilot tested with representative members of the target population.

RESULTS

Pilot surveys showed high reliability and data collected on the resulting Foundations for Safety Leadership (FSL) module indicated that the majority of foremen thought the training was helpful or valuable, particularly the discussion questions. The majority said they intended to use the skills on the jobsite. With the exception of the role-play activities, the trainers rated highly all other components, especially the videos and discussion questions. Modifications were made to the training materials and surveys based on pilot test findings. The most important result of the development and pilot testing efforts is that the OSHA Training Institute (OTI) included the FSL as an elective in the OSHA 30-h course.

CONCLUSIONS

The FSL module fills a needed skills gap by providing safety leadership training to all foremen who might otherwise not have access to it through their company or union. The continued success of the FSL training will be ensured by dissemination via the OSHA 30-h course, an established nationwide safety training program. Practical applications: The FSL training module has already been widely accepted by the construction industry as a useful approach for providing construction foremen/See new abstract lead workers with the knowledge and skills they need to become more effective jobsite safety leaders.

A training intervention to improve frontline construction leaders' safety leadership practices and overall jobsite safety climate

INTRODUCTION

The 2.5 h Foundations for Safety Leadership (FSL) training program teaches construction supervisors the leadership skills they need to strengthen jobsite safety climate and reduce adverse safety-related outcomes.

METHODS

Using a quasi-experimental prospective switching replications study design, we examined (1) if FSL-trained jobsite safety leaders would report improved understanding and practice of the FSL leadership skills, safety practices and crew reporting of safety related conditions, and (2) if their crew perceived a change in (a) their supervisors' practices, (b) their own safety practices and reporting of safety-related conditions, and (c) overall jobsite safety climate. Twenty construction sub-contracting companies were recruited and randomly assigned to either an early or lagged-control training group. Participating supervisors and workers completed surveys at multiple time points before and after the FSL training. We used linear mixed modeling to test changes over time.

RESULTS

Only supervisors in the early group reported a statistically significant improvement in their understanding and practice of the leadership skills as well as safety practices from before to 2- and 4-weeks post-training. Overall, no significant change was detected in crew-reported outcomes from before to after their supervisors' participated in the FSL training.

CONCLUSIONS

These results provide evidence that the FSL training can, at least in the short-term, improve construction frontline leaders' jobsite leadership skills. Future research could include an evaluation of FSL refresher activities and a longer-term follow-up. Practical applications: The Foundations for Safety Leadership (FSL) program fills an identified need for construction frontline supervisors to learn and practice critical safety leadership skills on the jobsite. It has already reached over 60,000 leaders and has the potential to reach over 100,000 each year during either an OSHA 30-h or a stand-alone course.

Using a Modified Theory of Planned Behavior to Examine Teachers' Intention to Implement a Work Safety and Health Curriculum

BACKGROUND

Workplace safety and health is a major public health concern, but largely absent from the school health curriculum. Little is known about teachers' perceptions of teaching workplace safety and health topics.

METHODS

We administered a 41-item questionnaire reflecting the theory of planned behavior, modified to measure knowledge, to 242 middle and high school teachers in career and technical education and academic subjects. We conducted confirmatory factor analysis to assess the measures' psychometric properties and factorial ANOVAs to compare differences among participants' knowledge, attitude toward, self-efficacy, and intention (to teach) workplace safety and health by sex, prior work injury, and main subject taught.

RESULTS

Confirmatory factor analyses indicated the measures reflected the theory. Factorial ANOVAs suggested female teachers had statistically significantly lower mean self-efficacy scores than did male teachers to teach workplace safety and health. Male occupational career and technical education teachers demonstrated higher mean knowledge scores than male teachers in other subjects. Participants not injured at work had higher knowledge scores than those who had been injured.

CONCLUSION

Self-efficacy (influenced by sex) and knowledge (influenced by subject taught and previous workplace injury) revealed factors that may affect teachers' provision of workplace safety and health education, a critical yet overlooked component of school health.

Factors associated with possession of accurate knowledge regarding occupational health management among operations leaders of radiation decontamination workers in Fukushima, Japan: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES

An operations leader (OL) takes an important role in occupational health management for radiation decontamination workers in Japan, and candidates for the position must participate in a training session to acquire the necessary knowledge as required by law. However, it has not been clarified whether the candidates for the OL position actually possess accurate knowledge regarding occupational health management for such work after the training session. We, therefore, aimed at examining the current occupational health management knowledge among the candidates and investigating factors related to the knowledge, with hypothesis that possession of accurate knowledge is associated with prior experience of having worked in radiation decontamination.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study.

SETTING

The training sessions held by Fukushima Prefecture Labor Standard Associations in Fukushima, Japan, in 2017.

PARTICIPANTS

Eighty male candidates participated in the training sessions.

OUTCOME

The number/proportion of correct answers to the questions regarding occupational health management, such as those on working environment management, control of operations and health management.

RESULTS

The proportion of those who possessed accurate knowledge regarding working environment management, control of operations and health management was 68.8%, 55.0% and 51.2%, respectively. Experience of radiation decontamination work was associated with the possession of inaccurate knowledge regarding working environment management (OR 0.140 (95% CI 0.042 to 0.464)), and the uncertainty of future radiation decontamination work schedules in difficult-to-return zones was associated with the possession of accurate knowledge regarding health management (OR 4.344 (95% CI 1.509 to 12.50)).

CONCLUSIONS

Previous experience in radiation decontamination work may hinder the ability to acquire accurate information regarding working environment management among candidates for an OL position. To promote adequate occupational health management for radiation decontamination workers, it is required to establish an effective instructional method for the OL candidate training sessions with consideration of previous relevant experience.

An educational intervention to improve knowledge about prevention against occupational asthma and allergies using targeted maximum likelihood estimation

PURPOSE

Occupational asthma and allergies are potentially preventable diseases affecting 5-15% of the working population. However, the use of preventive measures is often insufficient. The aim of this study was to estimate the average treatment effect of an educational intervention designed to improve the knowledge of preventive measures against asthma and allergies in farm apprentices from Bavaria (Southern Germany).

METHODS

Farm apprentices at Bavarian farm schools were asked to complete a questionnaire evaluating their knowledge about preventive measures against occupational asthma and allergies (use of personal protective equipment, personal and workplace hygiene measures). Eligible apprentices were randomized by school site to either a control or an intervention group. The intervention consisted of a short educational video about use of preventive measures. Six months after the intervention, subjects were asked to complete a post-intervention questionnaire. Of the 116 apprentices (70 intervention group, 46 control group) who answered the baseline questionnaire, only 47 subjects (41%; 17 intervention group, 30 control group) also completed the follow-up questionnaire. We, therefore, estimated the causal effect of the intervention using targeted maximum likelihood estimation. Models were controlled for potential confounders.

RESULTS

Based on the targeted maximum likelihood estimation, the intervention would have increased the proportion of correct answers on all six preventive measures by 18.4% (95% confidence interval 7.3-29.6%) had all participants received the intervention vs. had they all been in the control group.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings indicate the improvement of knowledge by the educational intervention.

Evaluation of toolbox safety training in construction: The impact of narratives

BACKGROUND

Construction is a dangerous industry with a large number of small businesses. Because they require minimal resources to deliver, toolbox talks may be an ideal training format for small construction contractors.

METHODS

Eight toolbox talks were developed, each with two versions. One version of each toolbox talk was standard and one version included a narrative and discussion questions. Participants were randomly assigned to receive the standard or the narrative version. Pre- and post-intervention surveys measured demographics, workplace safety climate, and knowledge. The post-intervention survey also measured training impact.

RESULTS

Including narratives with discussion questions significantly increased knowledge gain and led to increased training impact. Less experienced workers were more likely to gain knowledge and training impact compared to more experienced workers. There were no significant changes in workplace safety climate.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest that including a narrative and discussion questions increases toolbox talk effectiveness.

Enhancing safety competencies of young adults: A randomized field trial (RCT)

INTRODUCTION

Young workers are exposed to various occupational hazards, often with limited experience and skills. In this study, we investigated the effects of the Attitude to Work Program on the safety competencies of young workers. Based on the social cognitive theory, the intervention was developed to help young people adopt an active role in preventing occupational hazards and overcoming barriers to safe work.

METHOD

The program was implemented in eight upper secondary-level vocational schools in Finland during 2015. A total of 464 students participated in the cluster randomized field trial. Those in the intervention group (n = 229) participated in the Attitude to Work Program. During the program, students identified and practiced behavioral strategies to prevent occupational hazards. Students in the control condition (n = 235) received written material about the same safety-related topics.

RESULTS

The short-term follow-up showed that the intervention significantly increased safety preparedness and the internal safety locus of control among the students in the intervention condition in comparison to those in the control condition. Students in the intervention condition also showed reduced risk-taking attitudes relative to those in the control condition. Furthermore, those who benefited most from the program were high conscientiousness students. The sensation-seeking level or vocational track did not moderate any of the intervention effects.

CONCLUSION

The results demonstrated that safety competencies can be modified by intervention techniques based on a social-cognitive framework.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

This study provides tools for school-based safety training and future intervention development. Further research is needed to study the relationships between cognitive factors, safety behavior, and accidents.

Evaluation of a Workplace Health and Wellbeing Training Course Delivered Online and Face-To-Face

Organisations may benefit from training champions to promote healthy workplace environments and initiatives. This study compared the perceived usefulness and relative effectiveness of an employee training course offered via online and face-to-face formats. Individuals who took part in the training course were assessed on their perceived competence and confidence to implement changes pre- and post-training. Repeated measures Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and a t-test were conducted to test for significant differences between pre- and post-training scores and/or mode of training, respectively. Although the face-to-face training course was rated as slightly more useful, there were no significant differences between the two modes of training for the other dependent variables, and both modes led to significantly greater perceived competence and confidence post-training. These findings demonstrate the potential benefits of training employees to implement changes in their workplaces.

Evaluation of a Brief Intervention for Promoting Mental Health among Employees in Social Enterprises: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

Evidence on the effectiveness of workplace mental health promotion for people with disabilities is limited. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a brief mental health promotion intervention in social enterprises. It had a non-blinded cluster randomized controlled trial design with follow-up one and four months after the intervention. In total 196 employees agreed to participate (86 intervention and 110 control). Empowerment was the main outcome; secondary outcomes were resilience, palliative behavior, determinants of four coping strategies of mental health, quality of life, and life satisfaction. A brief participant satisfaction survey was conducted after the intervention. No significant intervention effect on empowerment was found. However, at one month follow-up, significant favorable effects were found on perceived social support for coping strategies for mental health and on palliative behavior. At four months follow-up, favorable intervention effects were found on quality of life, but unfavorable effects were found on unjustified worrying. In addition, the intervention was well received by the employees. This brief intervention might be a promising first step to improve mental health in people with disabilities working in social enterprises. Nevertheless, additional monitoring by professionals and managers working in the organizations might be needed to maintain these effects.

A Multi-Stakeholder Perspective on the Integration of Safety in University Nursing, Education, and Engineering Curricula

Improvement in workplace safety is dependent upon the active engagement of workforce leaders and designers. The university sector plays a key role in the education of these future leaders, and there is an expectation that safety education in universities will encompass more than just a safe learning environment—that is the nurturing of broader safety attitudes and awareness. However, with the exception of dedicated safety training programs, safety education is often delivered and assessed on an ad-hoc basis and at academic discretion. This is partly due to the absence of a simple tool with which curricula can be evaluated from a safety perspective. In a qualitative approach, semi-structured interviews were undertaken with multiple stakeholders (academics, professional organizations, and students) to determine their views on existing safety content in university curricula and on the level of preparedness, from a safety perspective, for workforce entry. University participants came from nursing, mechanical engineering, and education schools at three universities. A simple curriculum evaluative tool was also validated. Results indicated there were divergent views on the level of preparedness for workforce entry both between schools and stakeholder groups. However, the limitations of university curricula were acknowledged. The evaluation tool was shown to provide positive feedback on existing, but previously unacknowledged, safety content and also highlighted areas for future improvement and integration. However, voluntary utilization of the tool was a challenge for busy academics.

Evaluating Mental Health Literacy in the Workplace: Development and Psychometric Properties of a Vignette-Based Tool

Purpose Early intervention and support for workers with mental health problems may be influenced by the mental health literacy of the worker, their colleagues and their supervisor. There are gaps, however, in our understanding of how to develop and evaluate mental health literacy within the context of the workplace. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of a new Mental Health Literacy tool for the Workplace (MHL-W). Methods The MHL-W is a 16-question, vignette-based tool specifically tailored for the workplace context. It includes four vignettes featuring different manifestations of mental ill-health in the workplace, with parallel questions that explore each of the four dimensions of mental health literacy. In order to establish reliability and construct validity, data were collected from 192 healthcare workers who were participating in a mental health training project. Baseline data was used to examine the scale's internal consistency, factor structure and correlations with general knowledge ratings, confidence ratings, attitudes towards people with mental illness, and attitudes towards seeking help. Paired t-tests were used to examine pre and post intervention scores in order to establish responsiveness of the scale. Results There was strong support for internal consistency of the tool and a one-factor solution. As predicted, the scores correlated highly with an overall rating of knowledge and confidence in addressing mental health issues, and moderately with attitudes towards seeking professional help and (decreased) stigmatized beliefs. It also appears to be responsive to change. Conclusions The MHL-W scale is promising tool to track the need for and impact of mental health education in the workplace.

Profiles of law enforcement agency body armor policies-A latent class analysis of the LEMAS 2013 data

The life-saving benefits of body armor have been well-documented, and law enforcement agency (LEA) body armor wear requirements have been cited by police officers as one of the most important reasons for them to wear body armor. However, research on LEAs' policies and practices regarding body armor is scarce. This study examined whether there are different agency-level profiles of various body armor-related policies, and related these body armor policy profiles to agency characteristics, size, location, etc. U.S. LEAs fell into four distinct profiles based on their body armor policies. Close to half of the LEAs had comprehensive coverage of body armor policies in all aspects. However, nearly one in five LEAs had very weak body armor policies in all aspects. The rest of the LEAs split into two groups, each with different strengths and weaknesses on selection, training, fitting, wearing, and inspection policies. Sheriff's offices and smaller LEAs were found to have weaker policies. In contrast, LEAs with a community policing emphasis and those with body armor grants were found to have stronger body armor polices, especially when it comes to mandatory wearing polices. Findings from the study provide a portrait of the current state of LEA body armor policies, and provide guidance for improving LEAs' body armor policies and practices.

Effectiveness of participatory training for the promotion of work-related health and safety among Korean farmers

This study was conducted to explore the effectiveness of participatory training for promoting farmer's health and reducing agricultural work-related injuries. Candidates for this study included 595 farmers in 8 rural villages of South Korea. The one-day course participatory training was administered to 217 (36.5%) farmers and included an action-checklist, a good example presentation, and group discussion. The follow-up visit to participants' houses and farms was performed after 1 to 3 months. A direct interview survey was administered pre- and post-trainings. The total number of proposed action plans for the improvement of working condition was 620. It was observed that 61.5% of action plans (72.2% of short term and 41.3% of long term plans) were completely implemented. In regards to health and safety indices, the proportion of current smokers was reduced from 29.8% to 25.3% in the group that underwent training. The pesticide intoxication was reduced from 16.1% to 4.8% in participants that underwent training. However, the agricultural injury rate was unchanged in both groups. This study reports significant beneficial effects of participatory training in the agriculture sector in Korea.

Evaluation of an undergraduate occupational health program in Iran based on alumni perceptions: a structural equation model

PURPOSE

Evaluating educational programs can improve the quality of education. The present study evaluated the undergraduate occupational health program at the Semnan University of Medical Sciences in Semnan, Iran, with a focus on the associations between alumni perceptions of the learning environment and the outcomes of the occupational health program.

METHODS

A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among alumni of the undergraduate occupational health program. We asked alumni to rate their perceptions of the items using a 4-point Likert scale. The associations between alumni perceptions of the educational program and curriculum, faculty, institutional resources, and learning outcomes were modeled and described using structural equation modeling procedures.

RESULTS

A descriptive analysis of alumni perceptions indicated low evaluations for the administrative system, practical and research-based courses, and the number of faculty members. We found that a structural model of the evaluation variables of curriculum, faculty qualifications, and institutional resources significantly predicted undergraduate educational outcomes. The curriculum had direct and indirect effects on learning outcomes, mediated by faculty.

CONCLUSION

The findings of our study highlight the usefulness of the structural equation modeling approach for examining links between variables related to the learning process and learning outcomes. Surveys of alumni can provide data for reassessing the learning environment in the light of the professional competencies needed for occupational health graduates.

Effect of occupational safety and health education received during schooling on the incidence of workplace injuries in the first 2 years of occupational life: a prospective study

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to determine the effect of occupational safety and health (OSH) education during formal schooling on the incidence of workplace injuries (WIs) in young people starting their careers. We hypothesised that young people who had received OSH education during their schooling would have fewer WIs than those who received no OSH education. Secondary objectives focused on the effect of 'first aid at work' training during schooling and the conditions encountered on arrival in the company (occupational hazard information, safety training and job task training) on WI occurrence.

DESIGN

Prospective cohort study.

PARTICIPANTS

From 2009 to 2012, French apprentices and students at the end of their schooling and starting their careers were included.

OUTCOMES

Occurrence of WIs.

METHODS

At the time of inclusion, information about school courses and personal characteristics were collected, and subsequent half-yearly contacts gathered information relating to work and personal data. During the 2-year follow-up, WIs were directly reported by participants and were identified by searching the French National Health Insurance Funds' databases listing compulsory WI declarations.

RESULTS

755 participants reported holding 1290 jobs. During follow-up, 158 WIs were identified, corresponding to an incident rate of 0.12 (0.10 to 0.14) WIs per full-time worker. Subjects who reported having received OSH education at school had two times less WIs than those declaring not having received OSH education (incidence rate ratio (IRR) 0.51, 0.00 to 0.98). A lower WI risk was observed for participants who received the 'first aid at work' training (IRR=0.68, 0.00 to 0.98). The conditions on arrival in company were not associated with WIs occurrence.

CONCLUSION

In France, the OSH education provided to apprentices and students is mostly broader than the specific risks related to future jobs. Our results highlight the advantages of reinforcing this approach.

Occupational safety and health in construction: a review of applications and trends

Due to the high number of accidents that occur in construction and the consequences this has for workers, organizations, society and countries, occupational safety and health (OSH) has become a very important issue for stakeholders to take care of the human resource. For this reason, and in order to know how OSH research in the construction sector has evolved over time, this article-in which articles published in English were studied-presents an analysis of research conducted from 1930 to 2016. The classification of documents was carried out following the Occupational Safety and Health Cycle which is composed of five steps: regulation, education and training, risk assessment, risk prevention, and accident analysis. With the help of tree diagrams we show that evolution takes place. In addition, risk assessment, risk prevention, and accident analysis were the research topics with the highest number of papers. The main objective of the study was to contribute to knowledge of the subject, showing trends through an exploratory study that may serve as a starting point for further research.

Understanding causes of fall and struck-by incidents: What differentiates construction safety in the Arabian Gulf region?

Rapid growth in the Arabian Gulf region has fueled an explosive pace of construction and a rise in risks of occupational injury. Scarcity of pertinent data, however, makes it hard to determine whether accident characteristics, causal factors and remedial interventions identified elsewhere apply to the Gulf in comparable ways. This difficulty stems from unusual construction sector characteristics, notably a heterogeneous mix of expatriate laborers and firms working without a common language, work culture or labor practices. Does this change the mix of accident types or the ranking of main causes and priority remedies? To answer this question, a sample of 519 incident records was analyzed to determine whether accident types and frequencies are comparable to elsewhere. Site safety experts were then interviewed to determine whether rankings of factors and interventions should be similar. Findings are that types are indeed comparable, but the rankings of factors and interventions may not be. Main factors have to do with worker skills and training, experience, use of safety gear and risk perception. The overarching safety issue, however, is that firms and governments do not have strong incentive to address these factors.

An Integrated Intervention for Increasing Clinical Nurses' Knowledge of HIV/AIDS-Related Occupational Safety

Background: Approximately 35 new HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus, HIV) cases and at least 1000 serious infections are transmitted annually to health care workers. In China, HIV prevalence is increasing and nursing personnel are encountering these individuals more than in the past. Contaminated needle-stick injuries represent a significant occupational burden for nurses. Evidence suggests that nurses in China may not fully understand HIV/AIDS (Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, AIDS) and HIV-related occupational safety. At this time, universal protection precautions are not strictly implemented in Chinese hospitals. Lack of training may place nurses at risk for occupational exposure to blood-borne pathogens. Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of integrated interventions on nurses’ knowledge improvement about reducing the risk of occupationally acquired HIV infection. Methods: We audited integrated interventions using 300 questionnaires collected from nurses at the Affiliated Hospital of Xiangnan University, a public polyclinic in Hunan Province. The intervention studied was multifaceted and included appropriate and targeted training content for hospital, department and individual levels. After three months of occupational safety integrated interventions, 234 participants who completed the program were assessed. Results: Of the subjects studied, 94.3% (283/300) were injured one or more times by medical sharp instruments or splashed by body fluids in the last year and 95.3% considered their risk of occupational exposure high or very high. After the intervention, awareness of HIV/AIDS-related knowledge improved significantly (χ² = 86.34, p = 0.00), and correct answers increased from 67.9% to 82.34%. Correct answers regarding risk perception were significantly different between pre-test (54.4%) and post-test (66.6%) (χ² = 73.2, p = 0.00). When coming into contact with patient body fluids and blood only 24.0% of subjects used gloves regularly. The pre-test knowledge scores on universal precautions were relatively high. Correct answers about universal precautions improved significantly from pre-test (83.71%) to post-test (89.58%; χ² = 25.00, p = 0.00). After the intervention, nurses’ attitude scores improved significantly from pre-test (3.80 ± 0.79) to post-test (4.06 ± 0.75; t = 3.74, p = 0.00). Conclusions: Integrated educational interventions enhance nurses’ knowledge of risk reduction for occupationally acquired HIV infections and improve the observance of universal precautionary procedures. This enhancement allows nurses to assume a teaching role for prevention and management of HIV/AIDS.

'Sometimes your safety goes a bit by the wayside' … exploring occupational health and safety (OHS) with student nurses

Because nursing is a high risk profession in terms of occupational health and safety (OHS), the topic of OHS is an important component of student nurse education and practice. Seeking ways to enhance curricular content and foster student health, safety and wellbeing is an ongoing pursuit. This pilot study explored nursing student perspectives about OHS in the clinical setting to develop an understanding of student views that could enlighten teaching about this topic within the undergraduate nursing course. Focus groups were held with pre-registration student nurses in two discrete cohort levels (first and third year). Themes were identified from the focus group discussion about trust, knowledge and responsibility. The students demonstrated a sound grasp of clinical hazards and associated administrative controls. Strengthening student awareness of higher order controls and their evaluation would augment their knowledge of legislative requirements. Students may benefit from learning about a risk management approach to OHS which would provide them with a structured basis for problem solving. This may assist them with clinical reasoning about health and safety issues and empower them in aspects of self-care.

Need for radiation safety education for interventional cardiology staff, especially nurses

OBJECTIVE

Cardiac interventional radiology (IR) can cause radiation injury to the staff who administer it as well as to patients. Although education in the basic principles of radiation is required for nurses, their level of radiation safety knowledge is not known. The present study used a questionnaire protocol to assess the level of radiation safety knowledge among hospital nurses.

METHODS AND RESULTS

A questionnaire to assess the level of training and current understanding of radiation safety was administered to 305 nurses in 2008 and again to 359 nurses in 2010. Our study indicates that nurses had insufficient knowledge about radiation safety, and that a high percentage of nurses were concerned about the health hazards of radiation. Moreover, more than 80% of the nurses expressed an interest in attending periodic radiation safety seminars. Annual radiation protection training for hospital staff (including nurses) is important.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that nurses do not have sufficient knowledge of radiation safety and should receive appropriate radiation safety training. Many had a minimal understanding of radiation and thus had significant concerns about the safety of working with radiation. Periodic radiation safety education/training for nurses is essential.

OPTIMISATION OF OCCUPATIONAL RADIATION PROTECTION IN IMAGE-GUIDED INTERVENTIONS: EXPLORING VIDEO RECORDINGS AS A TOOL IN THE PROCESS

The overall purpose of this work was to explore how video recordings can contribute to the process of optimising occupational radiation protection in image-guided interventions. Video-recorded material from two image-guided interventions was produced and used to investigate to what extent it is conceivable to observe and assess dose-affecting actions in video recordings. Using the recorded material, it was to some extent possible to connect the choice of imaging techniques to the medical events during the procedure and, to a less extent, to connect these technical and medical issues to the occupational exposure. It was possible to identify a relationship between occupational exposure level to staff and positioning and use of shielding. However, detailed values of the dose rates were not possible to observe on the recordings, and the change in occupational exposure level from adjustments of exposure settings was not possible to identify. In conclusion, the use of video recordings is a promising tool to identify dose-affecting instances, allowing for a deeper knowledge of the interdependency between the management of the medical procedure, the applied imaging technology and the occupational exposure level. However, for a full information about the dose-affecting actions, the equipment used and the recording settings have to be thoroughly planned.

[First-aid training at work on interpersonal development: exploratory study on employees in integration into the workplace centres]

The National Institute of Research and Security and the “CHANTIER Ecole” network have developed first-aid training for employees of integration into the workplace centres. Specifically geared towards workplace safety, but similar in its content to home first-aid and rescue training, this training is also designed to enhance individual and collective responsibility and citizenship. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the personal and interpersonal effects of first-aid training of these employees by considering their social and professional difficulties in terms of psychosocial skills, such as empowerment, stress and emotions management, and decision-making capacity. A descriptive-inductive study was conducted over 18 months based on the grounded theory approach. Five integration into the work-place centres participated in the study and 34 interviews were conducted. These results raise several questions concerning: a) the characteristics of this public targeted by this training and their perception of integration into the workplace; b) the suitability of this training to working conditions and the link with other types of training such as family health education; c) the relationship between citizenship training and first-aid training at work, as it is more applicable to family training than workplace training. A quantitative study is considered to confirm these observations in other integration into the workplace centres.

The education and practice program for medical students with quantitative and qualitative fit test for respiratory protective equipment

Tuberculosis infection is prevalent in Korea and health care workers are vulnerable to tuberculosis infection in the hospital. The aims of this study were to develop and validate an education program that teaches senior medical students how to wear and choose the proper size and type of respiratory protective equipment (RPE), which may help reduce the risk of contracting Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) from patients. Overall, 50 senior medical students participated in this education program. Methods of choosing the proper type of RPE, performing a fit check of the RPE, and choosing a suitable mask size were taught by certified instructors using the real-time quantitative fit test (QNFT). The validity of education program was evaluated with qualitative fit test (QLFT) before and after the education as pass or fail. The education program was effective, as shown by the significantly pass rate (increased 30 to 74%) in the QLFT after the education program (p<0.05). Among study participants, changing mask size from medium to small significantly increased the pass rate (p<0.001). Incorporation of this program into the medical school curriculum may help reduce risk of MTB infection in medical students working in the hospital.

[The role of information and training for workers on the correct use of earplugs in assessing real noise attenuation with E-A-RfitTM system]

BACKGROUND

Laboratory levels of perceived noise attenuation as heard using earplugs are always higher than the real levels that can be achieved at the workplace. The employer is bound by law to supply individual hearing protection devices (HPDs), to assess their efficiency and efficacy, and also to inform and train workers on the correct use of HPDs.

OBJECTIVES

This study assessed the real "personal attenuation rating" (PAR) of HPDs  used by workers at the workplace, before (PAR A) and after (PAR B) specific and individual training. These values were also compared with the theoretical  "single number rating" (SNR) provided by the manufacturer.

METHODS

The study covered all the 65 male employees of an awnings factory, using the E-A-RfitTM computerized method, which can measure PARs, based on the difference between sound pressures recorded by an "outside" microphone and an "inside" microphone placed in the auditory canal, with earplugs inserted, before (PAR A) and after (PAR B), i.e., the specific and individual training described above.

RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS

PARs B were always definitely higher than PARs A, both for all tested frequencies and the corresponding average values, which were automatically detected by E-A-RfitTM. Furthermore the same PARs B were  decidedly lower than the respective SNRs supplied by the manufacturer on the basis of laboratory assessments. These data prove that specific and individual training for workers improves the performance of earplugs, contributing to a more appropriate secondary prevention of the effects of noise on hearing; they also prove that the real attenuation recorded in workers are always lower than those supplied by the manufacturer of the devices. It is recommended that the E-A-RfitTM system, which allowed these results to be achieved objectively, should be normally used to assess exposure to noise in workers, when HPDs are worn.