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Results of an intervention to improve lead safety among painting contractors and their employees *
Author(s) -
Materna Barbara L.,
Harrington David,
Scholz Peter,
Payne Susan F.,
Stubbs Harrison A.,
Hipkins Karen,
Merideth Emily,
Kirsch Luz,
Lomax Geoffrey,
Coyle Patricia,
Uratsu Connie
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/ajim.10034
Subject(s) - intervention (counseling) , medicine , interview , work (physics) , session (web analytics) , motivational interviewing , quality (philosophy) , occupational safety and health , fire safety , operations management , nursing , business , engineering , risk analysis (engineering) , advertising , mechanical engineering , philosophy , epistemology , pathology , political science , law
Background Residential and commercial painters disturb lead paint on older buildings, exposing workers and potentially building occupants. An intervention strategy was evaluated for improving lead safety in these small businesses. Methods Twenty‐one painting contractors received 32 hr of training, technical assistance, and a safety manual; their employees attended an 8‐hr training session. Impact evaluation involved interviewing participants at baseline, immediately post‐intervention, and 1 year later, and conducting contractor focus groups post‐intervention. Results Employers met 15 of 27 target objectives and workers met 3 of 12; however, even in areas where objectives were not met, both groups made improvements. Conclusions Motivated contractors and their employees can make moderate improvements in lead‐safe practices if provided with extensive training and technical assistance. Changes that are costly, unfamiliar, or perceived as a threat to work quality are more difficult to implement. Am. J. Ind. Med. 41:119–130, 2002. Published 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.