Role of evaluation in the evolution of the “safety pays, falls cost” residential construction contractors and workers campaign

In 2010, 10,050 U.S. construction workers were injured (251 died) as a result of falling—mostly from ladders, roofs, and scaffolds—while working from heights. Efforts to reach small residential contractors with height safety information are almost non-existent. In 2008, NIOSH, OSHA, CPWR (Center for Construction Safety and Health), and other stakeholders aimed to implement a national campaign targeting this group. We first conducted an environmental scan to learn what others are doing in this area and identify innovative and effective approaches we could adopt. We then conducted 15 English- and Spanish-language focus groups in four cities to gain feedback from residential contractors and workers on potential campaign names, taglines, and products. Informed by these formative research results, the national “Safety Pays, Falls Cost” campaign was launched April 2012. Four months later, we conducted two focus groups to seek feedback on materials disseminated and communication strategies. We have since fielded a partner survey to assess the quality of campaign partnerships and tracked quantitative metrics on audience reception. As we begin the campaign's second year, we will assess the readiness of communities in which partners are located to identify a few markets that best meet criteria for an intensive local campaign intervention. We will administer a partner survey to identify needs and establish a baseline of activities and conduct a post-local intervention survey to assess changes in predetermined measures. We will present lessons learned to inform future social marketing efforts that are only recently finding their way into the occupational safety/health field.