TY - JOUR
T1 - Toolbox talks to prevent construction fatalities
T2 - Empirical development and evaluation
AU - Olson, Ryan
AU - Varga, Alexandra
AU - Cannon, Annie
AU - Jones, Jamie
AU - Gilbert-Jones, Illa
AU - Zoller, Erika
N1 - Funding Information:
The current project was designed to develop and evaluate toolbox talk material about fatal construction incidents. This was an outreach research project of the Oregon Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (OR-FACE) program ( NIOSH Grant U60OH008472 ), which is one of nine state-based FACE programs funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in the United States. The national FACE mission is to “prevent occupational fatalities across the nation by identifying and investigating work situations at high risk for injury and then formulating and disseminating prevention strategies to those who can intervene in the workplace” ( Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014a ). Research activities of state-based FACE programs include expanded surveillance and assessment of fatal workplace injuries, investigation of selected fatal incidents, and developing and evaluating outreach publications and activities.
Funding Information:
The Oregon Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation research program is supported with funding from a cooperative agreement with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (Grant U60OH008472 ) through the Public Health Division of the Oregon Health Authority. The Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences and private donation provided additional financial support for the research. We would like to thank students enrolled in the first author’s Professional Safety course (offered within the Portland State University Occupational Health Psychology program) who participated in the development of the toolbox talk format. The authors also thank Tony Howard of Hoffman Construction and Demetra Star of Fortis Construction for their partnership in the development and field-testing of the toolbox talk guides, and Michael Lasarev for his consultation on statistical analysis methods. We would also like to acknowledge the many construction supervisors and workers who took time from their workdays to participate in each stage of the project.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 Elsevier Ltd.
PY - 2016/7/1
Y1 - 2016/7/1
N2 - Three studies were conducted to develop and evaluate safety toolbox talks about fatal construction incidents. Study 1 surveyed workers (n = 28) about existing pre-shift meetings. An evidence-based structure for toolbox talks was developed, and study 2 evaluated our selected line drawing illustration format with workers (n = 30). Study 3 evaluated supervisors' talks using: (1) new toolbox guides and (2) long-form investigation reports with workers from eight construction crews.In study 1, 25% of the sample reported never conducted safety meetings. In study 2, compared to photos, line drawings increased the distance workers' could correctly identify hazards by over 1.5 m. In study 3, the new format was preferred by 82% of supervisors, saved them 15 min preparation/presentation time, and produced favorable impacts with workers.Brief scripted toolbox talks made it easier for supervisors to share fatal stories and prevention recommendations with their crews. When the format includes scripted text for the supervisors, prompts for discussion and action items, and line drawings worker understanding can be enhanced.
AB - Three studies were conducted to develop and evaluate safety toolbox talks about fatal construction incidents. Study 1 surveyed workers (n = 28) about existing pre-shift meetings. An evidence-based structure for toolbox talks was developed, and study 2 evaluated our selected line drawing illustration format with workers (n = 30). Study 3 evaluated supervisors' talks using: (1) new toolbox guides and (2) long-form investigation reports with workers from eight construction crews.In study 1, 25% of the sample reported never conducted safety meetings. In study 2, compared to photos, line drawings increased the distance workers' could correctly identify hazards by over 1.5 m. In study 3, the new format was preferred by 82% of supervisors, saved them 15 min preparation/presentation time, and produced favorable impacts with workers.Brief scripted toolbox talks made it easier for supervisors to share fatal stories and prevention recommendations with their crews. When the format includes scripted text for the supervisors, prompts for discussion and action items, and line drawings worker understanding can be enhanced.
KW - Construction
KW - Death
KW - Hazards
KW - Injury prevention
KW - Safety communication
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84959355235&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84959355235&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ssci.2016.02.009
DO - 10.1016/j.ssci.2016.02.009
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84959355235
SN - 0925-7535
VL - 86
SP - 122
EP - 131
JO - Safety Science
JF - Safety Science
ER -