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Promoting adoption of fall prevention measures among Latino workers and residential contractors: Formative research findings
Author(s) -
Teran Suzanne,
Blecker Hillary,
Scruggs Kelsie,
García Hernández Javier,
Rahke Barbara
Publication year - 2015
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.22480
Subject(s) - workforce , incentive , enforcement , occupational safety and health , focus group , medicine , formative assessment , qualitative research , human factors and ergonomics , poison control , environmental health , public relations , business , economic growth , marketing , sociology , political science , pedagogy , social science , pathology , law , economics , microeconomics
Background Falls from heights remain a concern in construction, particularly for foreign‐born Latino construction workers employed by small residential contractors. The social ecological model provides a framework to assess the individual and contextual factors influencing the risk for falls. Methods Five focus groups and thirteen in‐depth interviews with workers, small residential contractors, and key informants were conducted in 2012 in San Francisco and Philadelphia. Data were analyzed with qualitative methods. Results Economic conditions in residential construction, coupled with a lack of enforcement and vulnerabilities of the foreign‐born workforce, are principal contributors to risk for falls. Small contractors perceive strong economic disincentives for implementation of fall protection and foreign‐born Latino workers experience a variety of social, cultural and occupational pressures impeding its use. Conclusions Increased adoption of fall protection cannot be accomplished solely by targeting Latino construction workers. Research is needed on incentives to influence contractor behavior and facilitate adoption of fall protection measures. Am. J. Ind. Med. 58:870–879, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.