Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #99997

Rosemary Sokas, MD, MOH¹, Leslie Nickels, MEd², Kristin Rankin³, Janie Gittleman, PhD, MRP⁴, and Christina Trahan, CIH⁴. (1) EOHS - M/C 922, University of Illinois-Chicago School of Public Health, 2121 W. Taylor St., Chicago, IL 60612, 313-996-8856, sokas@uic.edu, (2) School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago, SPH, 2121 W Taylor, Chicago, IL 60612, (3) CADE, SPH, University of Illinois, 1603 W. Taylor (m/c 923), Chgo, IL 60612, (4) The Center to Protect Workers' Rights, 8484 Georgia Avenue, Suite 1000, Silver Spring, MD 20910

A web-based survey of instructors was conducted to evaluate training materials developed to teach OSHA 10-hour hazard awareness courses to members of the construction trades. Of the 366 trainers who had valid e-mail addresses, the overall response rate was 27.9% (102/366) and the completion rate was 20.5% (75/366, average completion time of 30.6 minutes). Respondents came from 14 unions and from 28 states and the District of Columbia. They teach an average of 5 of the 10-hour hazard awareness courses per year, 73% were aware that Smart Mark training materials were available through their unions, and 70% had used the materials more than once. Users overwhelmingly rated the training materials to be somewhat or very useful. When asked to identify hazards commonly encountered by their trainees, more than half identified each of the following: falls from ladders (83%); lifting, stooping or bending (80%); falls from elevations (69%); injuries from tools (68%); lack of PPE (67%); electrical hazards (65%); general housekeeping (64%); noise (63%); confined spaces (62%);); dusts (61%); falling objects (57%); overhead or repetitive arm/hand work (53%); and chemicals (51%). While over 90% taught apprentices and journeymen, only 23% taught pre-apprentices. Thirty-nine percent reported teaching trainees whose first language was not English, estimating that they accounted for approximately 15% of trainees; however, only 5% considered language to be a barrier. Approximately half of the trainers were aware that the materials were available in Spanish, and this did not significantly increase among those with non-English speaking trainees.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe survey methods for conducting an on-line survey of trainers
• Discuss the frequency of use of materials by trainers
• Discuss user satisfaction with training materials
• Describe instructors' assesment of learners' needs and work hazards.

Keywords: Evaluation, Occupational Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation