Evaluating the Readability and Suitability of Construction Occupational Safety and Health Materials Designed for Workers

Details

• Personal Author:
  MacArthur B ; Roccotagliata T ; Sinyai C
• Description:
  Introduction: Printed materials for training and hazard communication are an essential part of occupational safety and health programs, but must be understood by their intended audience. Methods: Researchers collected 103 safety training handouts, brochures, and Safety Data Sheets and scored them for readability and suitability using four standard health communication instruments: the SMOG test, the Flesch-Kincaid Reading Ease Assessment, the SAM (Suitability Assessment of Materials), and CCI (the CDC Clear Communication Index). Results: Some of the materials used unfamiliar and technical terms. The SAM and CCI checklists revealed several elements of design and layout known to facilitate communication and comprehension, but missing from most of the materials scored. Conclusion: Occupational safety and health professionals preparing curricula and handouts for distribution to workers should incorporate some form of readability and suitability assessment to help ensure their written materials are clear and comprehensible to all segments of their audience. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Construction Industry Education Hazardous Substances Health Promotion Occupational Health Safety Staff Development Workplace
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Construction Construction Construction Industry Construction Workers Hazard Communication Health Communication Health Communications Health Literacy Health Programs Health Protection Material Safety Data Sheets MSDSs Occupational Health Occupational Safety Safety Data Sheets Safety Education Safety Programs Training Work Environment Worker Health Workers Worker Safety

  More +
• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; New York ; OSHA Region 2 ; OSHA Region 3 ; Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  61
• Issue:
  10
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20052829
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 2018 Oct; 61(10):842-848
• Contact Point Address:
  Clayton Sinyai, PhD, CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training, 8484 Georgia Ave. #1000, Silver Spring, MD 20910
• Email:
  csinyai@cpwr.com
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• 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:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• End Date:
  20240831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7a7b2f9d8a26bdc3c5433d27a7be7281478d4e3263917fecc3b1dbff21bfc56b0dc7fb52ff0975ade6cf884d618b389a06bc2d6ef4279162410aa2f2f8e95c74
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/212295/cdc_212295_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 644.03 KB ]