Worker health and safety training: Assessing impact among responders

A mail survey was conducted among emergency responders who received training at the New Jersey/New York Hazardous Materials Worker Training Center. Responses indicate that technical topics are extremely important (i.e., decontamination, personal protection); that the vast preponderance of trainees felt confident in their ability to recall specific critical concepts in a crisis; and that 42% of respondents (75) had experienced an incident that would have resulted in injury or death without training. Phone surveys for details of specific incidents reported by 43 of the 75 mail survey respondents revealed that anecdotal data provide powerful evidence of the value of training; that extensive and uniform training is needed across jurisdictions; that training should emphasize the technical aspects of health and safety, and should include demonstration and hands-on techniques; and that integrated organizational support for implementation of health and safety practices is critical. Am. J. Ind. Med. 33:241–246, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Action on worksite health and safety problems: A follow-up survey of workers participating in a hazardous waste worker training program

In its worker health and safety training program, the California-Arizona Consortium aims to promote worker action to improve health and safety conditions. To assess action on worker-identified health and safety problems, 278 trainees were interviewed 3–8 months after training. Associations with three outcomes were analyzed: (1) attempted action, (2) problem correction, and (3) trainee participation. Perceived management support was associated with all three outcomes, pointing to its key role in maximizing the impact of training. Odds of attempted action were 2–5 times greater with support than without. Trainees for whom English was not the primary language (mostly Spanish speakers) attempted action as often as English speakers. However, the odds of their correcting problems were half that of the English-speaking workers. It is suggested this was due to a perceived lack of control over organizational resources for change, not simply due to communication barriers. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Impacts of health and safety education: comparison of worker activities before and after training

BACKGROUND: The International Chemical Workers Union Council (ICWUC) Center for Worker Health and Safety Education in Cincinnati, Ohio, trains workers to protect themselves from hazards due to chemical spills and other chemical exposures. We evaluated whether the ICWUC Hazardous Waste Worker Training Program affects the attitudes and post-training activities, of trained union workers. METHODS: Detailed survey questionnaires were administered to 55 workers prior to and 14-18 months following training. Surveys queried trainees' interest and involvement in safety and health, use of information resources, training activities at their worksite, and their attempts and successes at making worksite improvements. RESULTS: Post-training, the study population showed an increase in training of other workers, use of resources, attempts at improvements, success rates for those attempting change, and overall success at making improvements. Self-reported interest decreased, and self reported involvement in health and safety did not significantly change. CONCLUSION: The study demonstrates that workers are more willing to attempt to change worksite conditions following training, and that their efficacy at making changes is substantially greater than before they were trained. The study confirms earlier work and strengthens these conclusions by using statistically tested comparisons of impact measures pre- and post-training.     

The occupational safety and health activities of UK environmental health officers—accident investigation

UK Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) are currently employed by local authorities to, inter alia discharge their duty of enforcing the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 at certain prescribed work activities. To be effective in this role, EHOs must be able to identify and act upon failures in work systems. This requires communication with and participation of the workforce. This paper describes part of the findings of an investigation into the extent of EHO‐trade union safety representative contact. Accidents reported to three local authorities were analysed to indicate the present effectiveness of EHOs in identifying actual, as opposed to potential, failures in work systems. These analyses showed classic failures in work systems which were not reliably uncovered by the EHOs. This appeared to stem from their failure to use a logical, problem solving method of investigation.     

Health and safety education for worker empowerment.

This article introduces a special issue of the American Journal of Industrial Medicine dedicated to innovative approaches to worker education in health and safety. Contributors to this issue describe applications of an "empowerment approach" in a wide variety of institutions and settings throughout the United States and Canada. In this article, empowerment education is presented and contrasted with other training methodologies. The article offers suggestions on how to implement this approach discusses evaluation issues, and summarizes the articles contained in this issue. Explored are preliminary outcomes of using this methodology and implications for developing educational programs in the future.     

Evaluating a training-for-action job health and safety program

This paper describes an action research evaluation method developed to assess a worker training program which encourages trainees to use knowledge acquired to correct health and safety problems in their workplaces. The project teaches trainees from the same workplace to identify problem areas collectively using a tool called a Risk Chart and then to prioritize problems to work on with the aid of an Action Plan. Follow-up trainee interviews are conducted to determine what impact the training has on trainees. The methodology is presented and preliminary results are discussed, with particular emphasis on the advantages and limitations of this method.     

Some lessons learned from using participatory methods in asbestos worker training.

A nonprofit worker training center changed its teaching methods in response to teacher feelings of burnout, student expressions of boredom, and the requests of new staff members. The paper presents one problem-solving case study that was developed. The author discusses some obstacles to using the case study, and her experiences in overcoming those obstacles.     

An overview of health and safety in the Colorado cannabis industry

Background

Understanding worker health and safety in the rapidly growing legal U.S. cannabis industry is important. Although little published research exists, workers may be exposed to biological, chemical, and physical hazards. This study investigated the Colorado cannabis industry workforce and both physical and psychosocial hazards to worker health and safety.

Methods

Two hundred and fourteen Colorado cannabis workers completed an online survey after in‐person and online recruitment. Participants answered questions about their occupation, job tasks, general well‐being, occupational health and safety, cannabis use, and tobacco use.

Results

Colorado cannabis workers were generally job secure and valued safety. However, they regularly consumed cannabis, expressed low concerns about workplace hazards, reported some occupational injuries and exposures, and reported inconsistent training practices.

Conclusions

Working in the cannabis industry is associated with positive outcomes for workers and their organizations, but there is an imminent need to establish formal health and safety training to implement best practices.

     

Assessment of occupational safety and health programs in small businesses

BACKGROUND: Occupational safety and health (OSH) programs are a strategy for protecting workers' health, yet there are few peer-reviewed reports on methods for assessing them, or on the prevalent characteristics of OSH programs, especially in small businesses. METHODS: We adapted an occupational safety and health administration (OSHA) survey instrument to assess: management commitment and employee participation, workplace analysis, hazard prevention and control, and education and training. This was supplemented by a series of open-ended questions. We administered the survey in 25 small worksites. RESULTS: Scores for each element ranged widely, with distribution of most scores being positively skewed. Barriers to addressing OSH included lack of time and in-house expertise, and production pressures. External agents, including corporate parents, liability insurers, and OSHA, played an important role in motivating OSH programs. CONCLUSIONS: Small businesses were able to mount comprehensive programs, however, they may rely on outside resources for this task. Being small may not be a barrier to meeting the requirements of an OSHA program management rule.     

Advancing the framework for considering the effects of climate change on worker safety and health

In 2009, a preliminary framework for how climate change could affect worker safety and health was described. That framework was based on a literature search from 1988–2008 that supported seven categories of climate-related occupational hazards: (1) increased ambient temperature; (2) air pollution; (3) ultraviolet radiation exposure; (4) extreme weather; (5) vector-borne diseases and expanded habitats; (6) industrial transitions and emerging industries; and (7) changes in the built environment. This article reviews the published literature from 2008–2014 in each of the seven categories. Additionally, three new topics related to occupational safety and health are considered: mental health effects, economic burden, and potential worker safety and health impacts associated with the nascent field of climate intervention (geoengineering).

Beyond updating the literature, this article also identifies key priorities for action to better characterize and understand how occupational safety and health may be associated with climate change events and ensure that worker health and safety issues are anticipated, recognized, evaluated, and mitigated. These key priorities include research, surveillance, risk assessment, risk management, and policy development. Strong evidence indicates that climate change will continue to present occupational safety and health hazards, and this framework may be a useful tool for preventing adverse effects to workers.     

Testing the joint health and safety committee assessment tool in the education sector

Abstract

Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC) effectiveness has been identified as an area of concern for Ontario’s education sector. The JHSC Assessment Tool has been previously tested in hospitals with positive results. This study assessed the feasibility and usability of the JHSC Assessment Tool in the education sector. Members of multi-workplace JHSCs from Ontario school boards used the tool to assess their committees’ effectiveness before, during and after a committee meeting with usability testing conducted pre and post meeting. Results suggested that the JHSC Assessment Tool was feasible to use during a regular JHSC meeting, groups were able to come to consensus on the majority of items, and usability scores were high overall. Participant feedback provided insight that informed the development of a version relevant to multi-workplace committees.     

Teaching health and safety: problems and possibilities for learner-centered training.

The University of Massachusetts at Lowell Work Environment Department, working jointly with four New England coalitions on occupational safety and health (COSH) groups, has developed and is delivering participatory and learner-centered health and safety training for hazardous waste site workers and emergency responders throughout New England. This consortium has created a technical curriculum for hazardous waste workers accessible to the nonspecialist and which, more importantly, draws upon workers' own experience and knowledge as a source of information, education, and experiential resources. In this article, we examine the goals of the consortium, the applicability of the training method, its successes and failures, and the wider implications such pedagogical techniques have for effective and empowering health and safety training. We conclude that such a teaching technique is a successful means of providing technical knowledge and skills in a positive and rewarding atmosphere. We also conclude, however, that the extent to which this form of education is empowering, as is claimed by many of its proponents, is less clear-cut.