Health and Safety Training Module for Vietnamese Nail Salon Workers: A Feasibility Study

Details

• Personal Author:
  Huynh T
• Description:
  In the United States, Vietnamese immigrants and refugees occupy a major portion of the nail industry workforce. Nail salon workers have long been documented to experience multiple acute adverse health effects related to their chronic exposures to low level of chemicals and other hazards in the workplace. Barriers such as language access, lack of resources, and cultural differences have resulted in workers and owners receiving limited occupational health training. While outreach efforts have been active in some parts of the country, there exists limited evidenced-based intervention programs that were rigorously evaluated and documented. The specific aims of the project were: 1) to identify knowledge gaps of workplace hazards and prevention measures, current practices, influential stakeholders, and perceived barriers to adopting safer practices among Vietnamese nail salon owners and employees; 2) to develop linguistically and culturally relevant training program; and 3) to pilot the training program. For the first aim, we recruited 17 Vietnamese nail salon owners and employees in the Greater Philadelphia area to participate in the focus groups and interviews. In a separate study with 19 Vietnamese nail salon owners and employees, we qualitatively assessed knowledge and misconceptions associated with the hepatitis B virus (HBV), and access to care. For the second aim, we developed a series of training covering infection control, musculoskeletal disease prevention, chemical protection, and worker' rights. In the last aim, we pre-tested the online training format with seven Vietnamese salon owners and employees to obtain feedback on the training content and online format. There is a complex interplay between the individual and environmental factors that influence safe practices among Vietnamese nail salon owners and employees. On the individual level, incomplete knowledge of the workplace hazards and control measures resulted in low perceived susceptibility and severity of the potential adverse health outcomes associated with work-related exposures. Employees typically had limited influence over the salon's safety culture and policy, and they attributed most of the responsibilities to the owners. Influential external stakeholders such as customers and policy enforcers should be leveraged in future intervention design. There were substantial knowledge gaps and misconceptions about how the hepatitis B virus is transmitted and prevented, which led to stigmatization of infected individuals in the salon. Barriers to health care access within the Vietnamese nail community included the cost of health care, long work hours, lack of insurance and lack of understanding of current community resources. Lastly, advantages associated with the online training format were identified, which included the ability to reach a larger audience, potential savings on staff time, and flexibility to accommodate participants' schedules. Challenges encountered included the inability to reach those with limited/no access to technology, technology assistance to participants prior to the training, and limited opportunity to model safe procedures to enhance effectiveness of the training. Technical assistance following the training will be critical to the success of the program. Lessons learned from the pre-test phase will be used to improve the quality of the program in the pilot study. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Communicable Diseases Hazardous Substances Health Promotion Musculoskeletal Diseases Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Safety Staff Development
• Keywords:
  Chemical Hazards Chronic Exposure Health Promotion Hepatitis B Infection Control Intervention Effectiveness Language Barrier MSD Musculoskeletal Disorders Nail Technicians Occupational Exposure Services Training

  More +
• Series:
  Grant Final Reports
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Final Grant Report
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OEP - Office of Extramural Programs
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-36
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20061835
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2022-100386
• Citation:
  Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, K01-OH-011191, 2020 Nov; :1-36
• Contact Point Address:
  Tran Huynh, PhD, MPH, CIH, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, Room 611 Nesbitt Hall, 3215 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
• Email:
  tbh38@drexel.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2021
• NORA Priority Area:
  Services
• Performing Organization:
  Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20160901
• Source Full Name:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• End Date:
  20190831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:9f1b1186fe2df2d90a321f6e27f19920108b4b0395b50f0bcb9f4553c533382b13541da5a96e6bea736cac2d074239da7f9653758cb1259bbd54d7b1c76d9378
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/219039/cdc_219039_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 468.93 KB ]