Abstract
Objectives
This paper sought to assess organizational safety practices at three different levels of hierarchical workplace structure and to examine their association with injury outcomes among construction apprentices.
Methods
Using a cross-sectional sample of 1,775 construction apprentices, three measures of organizational safety practice were assessed: contractor-, steward-, and coworker-safety practice. Each safety practice measure was assessed using three similar questions (i.e., on-the-job safety commitment, following required or recommended safe work practices, and correcting unsafe work practices); the summed average of the responses ranged from 1 to 4, with a higher score indicating poorer safety practice. Outcome variables included the prevalence of four types of musculoskeletal pain (i.e., neck, shoulder, hand, and back pain) and injury-related absence.
Results
In adjusted analyses, contractor-safety practice was associated with both hand pain (OR: 1.27, 95 % CI: 1.04, 1.54) and back pain (OR: 1.40, 95 % CI: 1.17, 1.68); coworker-safety practice was related to back pain (OR: 1.42, 95 % CI: 1.18, 1.71) and injury-related absence (OR: 1.36, 95 % CI: 1.11, 1.67). In an analysis that included all three safety practice measures simultaneously, the association between coworker-safety practice and injury-related absence remained significant (OR: 1.68, 95 % CI: 1.20, 2.37), whereas all other associations became non-significant.
Conclusions
This study suggests that organizational safety practice, particularly coworker-safety practice, is associated with injury outcomes among construction apprentices.
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Acknowledgments
The research was supported by grant 1R01 DP000097-01 from the National Institutes of Occupational Safety and Health. We would like to thank the president, program directors, staff, and apprentices affiliated with the Massachusetts Building Trades Council for their participation in this study. Lauren M. Dutra was supported by NIH Grant number 3R25CA057711-18S1.
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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
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Kim, SS., Dutra, L.M. & Okechukwu, C.A. Contractor-, steward-, and coworker-safety practice: associations with musculoskeletal pain and injury-related absence among construction apprentices. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 87, 493–500 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-013-0889-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-013-0889-2