Safety Voice for Ergonomics (SAVE) Project: Protocol for a Workplace Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial to Reduce Musculoskeletal Disorders in Masonry Apprentices

Details

• Personal Author:
  Anton D ; Hess JA ; Kincl LD ; Weeks DL
• Description:
  Background: Masons have the highest rate of overexertion injuries among all construction trades and rank second for occupational back injuries in the United States. Identified ergonomic solutions are the primary method of reducing exposure to risk factors associated with musculoskeletal disorders. However, many construction workers lack knowledge about these solutions, as well as basic ergonomic principles. Construction apprentices, as they embark on their careers, are greatly in need of ergonomics training to minimize the cumulative exposure that leads to musculoskeletal disorders. Apprentices receive safety training; however, ergonomics training is often limited or non-existent. In addition, apprenticeship programs often lack "soft skills" training on how to appropriately respond to work environments and practices that are unsafe. The SAVE program - SAfety Voice for Ergonomics - strives to integrate evidence-based health and safety training strategies into masonry apprenticeship skills training to teach ergonomics, problem solving, and speaking up to communicate solutions that reduce musculoskeletal injury risk. The central hypothesis is that the combination of ergonomics training and safety voice promotion will be more effective than no training or either ergonomics training alone or safety voice training alone. Methods/design: Following the development and pilot testing of the SAVE intervention, SAVE will be evaluated in a cluster-randomized controlled trial at 12 masonry training centers across the U.S. Clusters of apprentices within centers will be assigned at random to one of four intervention groups (n = 24 per group): (1) ergonomics training only, (2) safety voice training only, (3) combined ergonomics and safety voice training, or (4) control group with no additional training intervention. Outcomes assessed at baseline, at the conclusion of training, and then at six and 12 months post training will include: musculoskeletal symptoms, general health perceptions, knowledge of ergonomic and safety voice principles, and perception and attitudes about ergonomic and safety voice issues. Discussion: Masons continue to have a high rate of musculoskeletal disorders. The trade has an expected increase of 40 % in the number of workers by 2020. Therefore, a vetted intervention for apprentices entering the trade, such as SAVE, could reduce the burden of musculoskeletal disorders currently plaguing the trade. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02676635, 2 February 2016. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Construction Industry Environmental Exposure Ergonomics Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Staff Development Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Apprenticeship Training Author Keywords: Ergonomics Back Injuries Construction Construction Industry Exposure Levels Injuries Injury Prevention Masons MSD Musculoskeletal Disorders Musculoskeletal System Musculoskeletal System Disorders Overexertion Risk Factors Safety Education Safety Voice Training Work Environment Workers

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• ISSN:
  1471-2458
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; Oregon ; OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 3 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  16
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20050017
• Citation:
  BMC Public Health 2016 Apr; 16:362
• Contact Point Address:
  Laurel D. Kincl, College of Public Health and Human Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331-2106
• Email:
  Laurel.Kincl@oregonstate.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2016
• NORA Priority Area:
  Construction
• Performing Organization:
  CPWR - The Center for Construction Research and Training, Silver Spring, Maryland
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20090901
• Source Full Name:
  BMC Public Health
• End Date:
  20240831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:c144b48570b501eb591eea19677fe3ab31b48b54768decf2079bea8f9a1468cd4ee1fa1922c520b39e4e77314f73829f90a14eb26910e7866729ab7ab419da5a
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/210570/cdc_210570_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 472.33 KB ]