Work Safety for Young Part Time Workers: Developing an Assessment Tool and Testing an Intervention Cindy Hunt, Dr.PH, RN

Presenter Disclosures (1)The following personal financial relationships with commercial interests relevant to this presentation existed during the past 12 months: Cindy Hunt No relationships to disclose.

Approximately 45% of adolescents (15 to 19 ) and 71% of young adults yrs in Canada held jobs (Marshall, 2010) work injury for young workers can be 1.2 to 2X greater than those of older adults (Salinen, 2004, Breslin & Smith, 2005) Injured young workers can have permanent impairment with the potential to negatively impact future employment, life time earnings, and health status, making work safety for youth a long term economic, social and public health issue

Building a collaboration : to address work safety for young workers Humber Institute for Work and Health Safe Communities Canada

Research Questions What is the nature of work for young adults? Does an on-line training intervention (“Passport to Safety”) improve knowledge, attitudes and beliefs on work safety for youth? What is the impact & sustainability of on-line work safety training on college students ?

DPSEEA (Stone & Morris, 2010) Drivers, Pressures, State, Exposure, Effect, Actions

Methods Study Population ▫work study students attending an urban based college Study Design ▫Longitudinal, randomized cluster Control n=64 ▫Regular OHS training Intervention n=68 ▫Regular OHS training + on-line work safety intervention

Measure Student Work Assessment Tool (SWAT) 42 item online questionnaire demographic (2), job characteristics(9), work environment (11), personal experience with work safety (6), work place safety preparation (14) (Breslin, Wood & Mustard, 2009; Garcia et al, 2004; Lahtinen et al, 2004; Reijula & Sundam-Digert, 2004; Runyan et al, 2007).

Intervention

Characteristics of Study Participants LowerUpperStd VariableGroupN95% CLMean95% CLDevPr > |t| AgeIntervention (years)Control Difference (1-2) GenderIntervention (proportion Female)Control Difference (1-2) Average work hoursIntervention (per week)Control Difference (1-2)

Descriptive Results: Injury Reported by Type (n=29)

Percent reported direct contact with products. N=132

Student Work Assessment Tool-Construct Validity Safety Knowledge ▫Do you feel that you have enough information to work safely? ▫Do you feel that you lack experience for working safely? ▫Do you feel you have knowledge of risks in your place? Work Strain ▫Do you regard your work as interesting and stimulating? ▫Do you have any opportunity to influence your working conditions? ▫Do your fellow workers help you with problems you may have in your work? Prevention Beliefs ▫Most workplace injuries are preventable through education, training, and proper supervision. ▫People make too much of an issue about workplace safety. ▫Working part time has helped me gain a better understanding of workplace health and safety issues.

Inferential Results ANCOVA: Mean Differences for prevention beliefs, safety knowledge and work strain.T2

Discussion & Strengths No statistical differences between intervention & control groups on 3 constructs at T2 & T3 DPSEEA model: environmental health focus SWAT tool-3 constructs-safety knowledge, work strain, prevention beliefs -consider as a nursing assessment tool for young workers

Study Limitations sample size measurement tool self reports intervention was not that different than the normal OHS training

Next Steps for Youth Work Safety refine tool repeat with modification to study design explore “job specific safety training” study supervisor’s role extend the reach of OHS to nursing students & other health care professionals

Selected References Breslin FC, Smith P. (2005). Age-related differences in work injuries: A multivariate, population-based study. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 48(1), Breslin FC, Wood M, Mustard C. (2009). Bridging the safety gap for vulnerable young workers using employment centres: final report. Toronto: Institute for Work & Health. Garcia A., Boix P., Canosa C. (2004). Why do workers behave unsafely at work? Determinants of safe work practice in industrial workers. Occupational Environmental Medicine, 61, Lahtinen M., Sundman-Digert C, Reijula K. (2004). Psychosocial work environment and indoor air problems: a questionnaire as a means of problem diagnosis. Occupational Environmental Medicine, 61, Marshall K. (2010). Employment patterns of postsecondary students. Statistics Canada. Catalogue no X. Accessed March 17, Reijula K., Sundman-Digert C. (2004). Assessment of indoor air problems at work with a questionnaire. Occupational Environmental Medicine, 61, Reed D, Kidd P, Westneat S, Rayens M. (2001). Agricultural disability awareness and risk education(agdare) for high school students. Injury Prevention, 7, Runyan C., Schulaman M., Dal Santo J., Bowling M., Agans R., Ta, M. (2007). Work related hazards and workplace safety of US adolescents employed in the retail and service sectors. Pediatrics, 119, Salminen S. (2004). Have young workers more injuries than older ones? An international literature review. Journal of Safety Research, 35: Stone, D., Morris, G. (2010). Injury prevention: a strategic priority for environmental health? Public Health, 124(6),