Virginia Tech OSH Research Cooperative Agreement

Details

• Personal Author:
  Arcury TA ; Blismas N ; Cameron W ; Dickerson D ; Evia C ; Grzywacz JG ; Kim S ; Kleiner BM ; Kucera KL ; Lang W ; Lingard HC ; Lipscomb HJ ; Liu Z ; McCoy A ; Mills T ; Nussbaum MA ; Quandt SA ; Schoenfisch AL ; Shewchuk JP ; Silverstein B ; Wakefield R ; Wang A ; Xu Y
• Description:
  Over the last five years, eight research projects have been conducted, each with a unique impact on the occupational safety and health of workers in the construction industry. Here is a brief explanation of each of the projects and their results: 1) In order to reduce construction worker's exposure to welding fumes, researchers developed sensors that can detect the presence of nanoscale aerosols generated during the welding process with extremely high sensitivity. NORA goal 6.5 was addressed in this project. 2) Research was conducted with immigrant Latino workers to determine if electronic data collection, in particular, computer-assisted telephone surveys (CATS), would be a useful tool to capture and understand their daily processes and important safety behaviors. It was determined that with refinement the tools would be useful in gathering this data. The researchers addressed NORA goals, 9, 10, 12 and 7.3.3. 3) Another project involving Latino construction workers investigated using a lay health advisor, or a community health worker, to educate workers about fall protection and prevention. They found that there was no significant differences between safety knowledge and behavior between participants. They learned that for such programs to be effective, workers' values surrounding the need for employment and income should be addressed as they were hesitant to participate in the program fearing alienation from their employers. NORA goals 9, 10 and 12 were addressed. 4) A team of researchers compared safety strategies between the United States and Australia, whose safety record is twice as good as the U.S. They determined that decisions made in the design process, or pre-construction phase, on hazards, can have a major impact on safety as opposed to making the decisions during construction. This implies the need for architects, engineers and constructors to work together in pre-construction. Case studies were developed based on this research to be used as training tools. NORA goal 10 was addressed in this research. 5) Twenty-year work-related injuries and illnesses among union carpenters in Washington State were analyzed by evaluating worker's compensation claims compared to Bureau of Labor Statistics patterns. It was determined that injury and illness rates are actually higher than the Bureau of Labor Statistics report. Other findings suggest a shifting of care to private insurance over time, and that drywall installers are at a high risk for a variety of injuries. These methods should serve as a model for improved occupational safety surveillance. NORA goals addressed in this research are 7.2, 8.2 and 14.1. 6) Using a proactive prevention through design approach, researchers developed a decision support system for panelized construction to help reduce work-related musculoskeletal disorders. They addressed NORA goals 13 and 7 in this research. 7) Another project researched how to improve use of prevention through design tools, which greatly reduce safety and health hazards, in the construction industry, specifically a ventilated sanding tool. The findings showed that training regarding risks to the worker health, hands-on training with the tools, cues-to-action (i.e. hard hat stickers, t-shirts) reminders to work safely, and developing a 'technology champion', someone who was allowed to use new equipment for a trial period, within the contractor community were the most effective strategies. NORA goals 5.2 and 5.3 were addressed in this project. 8) The trends and barriers of adopting prevention through design technologies was researched in the concrete, masonry, asphalt roofing, and welding industries. After surveying the industry, it was found the following as motivators to adopting safer technology: safety, government regulations and insurance incentives. The barriers were productivity, job performance and cost. NORA goal 13 was addressed in this research. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Community Health Services Construction Industry Musculoskeletal Diseases Occupational Health Safety Staff Development Welding
• Keywords:
  Community Health Construction Industry Construction Workers Equipment Design Injuries Injury Prevention Intervention MSD Musculoskeletal Disorders Nanoparticles Prevention Through Design PTD Safety Practices Sensors Training Welding Fumes Worker Health Workers Compensation

  More +
• Series:
  Grant Final Reports
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Final Cooperative Agreement Report
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OEP - Office of Extramural Programs
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20061932
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2022-100392
• 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, U60-OH-009761, 2015 Apr; :1-767
• Contact Point Address:
  Brian M. Kleiner, PhD, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), 1345 Perry St. (0188), Blacksburg, VA 24061
• Email:
  bkleiner@vt.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2015
• NORA Priority Area:
  Construction
• Performing Organization:
  Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20090901
• Source Full Name:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• End Date:
  20150131
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:fadd7b7daa9f1da51ad17d45ef5f58c00c18a271ab02f2e9cb56a12e301e7b67d742a69d48e5f870f4b6a5ff98f598cc3d8d375da853fd90c05cbd9517b4e86f
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/219043/cdc_219043_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 10.59 MB ]