OVERVIEW OF STUDY
- Study design: Cluster randomized controlled trial
- Study locations: Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- Site types: Four intervention sites, four control sites (three renovation projects, four new construction projects, and one a mixture of renovation and new construction)
- Site information: All unionized commercial construction projects that ranged in size from 8,500-square feet to 495,000-square feet
- Dates: August 2011 through December 2013
- Study metrics: Comparison of worksite safety conditions, injury data, worker survey responses, and focus group data at worksites with the program to sites without the program.
RESULTS
- At intervention sites, workers noted increased levels of safety awareness, communication and teamwork when compared to control sites.
- The average safety climate score at intervention sites improved 3.8% compared to the average safety climate score at control sites. Safety climate has been found to be predictive of injury rates and frequencies in other studies and is a metric used as a proxy for injury outcomes.
- The difference we observed is statistically significant and takes into account sophisticated statistical modeling that addresses variation between sites and individual characteristics of workers.
- For a more detailed overview, check out the Summary of Results.
PUBLICATIONS
- Sparer EH, Catalano PJ, Herrick RF, and Dennerlein JT [2016]. Improving safety climate through a communication and recognition program for construction: a mixed methods study. Scand J Work Environ Health, 42(4):329–337.
- Sparer EH, Herrick RF, and Dennerlein JT [2015]. Development of a Safety Communication and Recognition Program for Construction. New Solutions, 25(1), 42-58.
- Sparer EH and Dennerlein JT [2013]. Determining safety inspection thresholds for employee incentives programs on construction sites. Safety Science, 51(1), 77-84.
- Additional papers are forthcoming and under review. Links will be provided upon publication.
FUNDING
- Research for this report was funded by The Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR), and their grant U60OH09762 from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of NIOSH and CPWR.
- No funding was obtained from Predictive Solutions. This software program was utilized in the study because its framework allows for evaluation of both safe and unsafe observations. It was also in use by the Harvard Construction Safety Group during program development.