NIOSH Program Portfolio

Construction

NORA Construction Sector Strategic Goals

927ZBES - Development of a Trench Safety CD-ROM for Hispanic Workers

Principal Investigator (PI)

Primary Goal Addressed

Secondary Goal Addressed

Attributed to Construction

Project Description

Short Summary

This four year study will develop, evaluate, and distribute a Spanish language version of the NIOSH TSAT CD-ROM (Publication No. 2005-133C) whose format and content will be culturally tailored for Hispanic immigrant workers. Specifically, this study will examine whether an interactive or non-interactive format of the CD-ROM training will be more effective for the Hispanic immigrant population. This study addresses the goals set forth in Construction Sector and the Occupational Health Disparities Coordinated Emphasis area. This study will produce and distribute 5000 copies of a Spanish language Trench Safety CD-ROM. It will also generate recommendations on the most effective format and distribution channels for computer based training targeting the Hispanic immigrant worker population. These recommendations will inform the development of future training resources targeting Hispanic immigrant workers, across industry sectors.

Description

This four year study will develop, evaluate and distribute a Spanish language version of the NIOSH TSAT CD-ROM (Publication No. 2005-133C) whose format and content will be culturally tailored for Hispanic immigrant workers. Specifically, this study will examine whether an interactive or non-interactive format of the CD-ROM training will be more effective for the Hispanic immigrant population. This project proposal builds on previous NIOSH studies that have evaluated trench safety education materials (such as the NIOSH Trenching CD-ROM and the OSHA “Working Safely in Trenches” card) and other NIOSH research that has focused on improving training materials for Hispanic workers. All three members of the NIOSH research team have been extensively involved in the previous studies and their areas of expertise (Hispanic culture and the immigrant community, vocational psychology and psychometric methods, and communications research and usability testing) cover the major areas of expertise required for successful completion of this study.



Working with community based Hispanic organizations and stakeholders in the construction industry, this four year project will utilize qualitative and quantitative methods to develop, evaluate, and distribute a culturally tailored Spanish language companion version of the NIOSH “TSAT” CD-ROM. In the first year, NIOSH researchers will gather data, using key informant interviews and focus groups, from industry stakeholders, Hispanic immigrant workers (HIW), and trench safety experts to determine the key factors that place HIW at risk and the obstacles to effective safety training for this population. In the second year, the storyboard and script will be developed, tested and finalized and an interactive and non-interactive version of the CD-ROM will be produced. In the third year one hundred immigrant trench workers will administered a pre-test (assessing OSH knowledge, attitudes toward OSH, and self-reported OSH behavior) and then will be randomly assigned either the interactive or non-interactive version of the CD-ROM training. Post-tests will be administered upon completion of the training, one month after the training, and three months after the training to determine which version was more effective. In year four, NIOSH investigators will interview Hispanic community representatives and small business construction industry representatives, in different regions of the country, to develop a targeted distribution plan for the final product to compliment NIOSH’s traditional distribution mechanisms. Once approval has been obtained for dissemination, 5000 copies of the most effective version of the Spanish language Trench Safety CD-ROM will be produced and distributed according to the traditional and targeted distribution plans. Data regarding the distribution of the CD will be collected from the requestor of the CD-ROM at the time of the request. This data will be analyzed and distribution recommendations will be developed for targeting Hispanic immigrant workers.



The OSH research community and industry stakeholders have clearly articulated their desire for effective Spanish language training materials especially targeting dangerous occupations such as trenching. This study will develop, evaluate and distribute a Spanish language Trench Safety CD-ROM that has been culturally tailored for Hispanic immigrant workers. The recommendations on the format and distribution of computer based training materials generated by this study will inform the creation of future training resources for HIW, across industry sectors. These findings and recommendations will be distributed to the larger academic and OSH community via published articles in professional and industry journals and through conference presentations.

Objectives

The overall objective of this study is to reduce the number of fatal and non-fatal trenching accidents for Hispanic Immigrant workers. Specifically, this study proposes to develop, evaluate and distribute a Spanish language version of the NIOSH “Trench Safety Awareness Training” CD-ROM (Publication No. 2005-133C) whose format and content will be culturally tailored for Hispanic immigrant workers. Imbedded in this process is an evaluation of whether an interactive or non-interactive version of the training is more effective with this population. This data will not only be useful in determining the final format of this particular product but will also inform the format decisions for future CBT targeting Hispanic immigrant workers. Finally, this study will develop a distribution plan for reaching Hispanic immigrant workers that will complement the traditional NIOSH distribution network and will track which is more effective in reaching Hispanic immigrant workers with the product.

NIOSH Program:

Construction

Program Description
NIOSH Strategic Goals
• About NORA Construction Sector Strategic Goals
• Main Goals List
• Goal 1.0
• Goal 2.0
• Goal 3.0
• Goal 4.0
• Goal 5.0
• Goal 6.0
• Goal 7.0
• Goal 8.0
• Goal 9.0
• Goal 10.0
• Goal 11.0
• Goal 12.0
• Goal 13.0
• Goal 14.0
• Goal 15.0
• Non-Goal Projects