Guidance strategies for a participatory ergonomic intervention to increase the use of ergonomic measures of workers in construction companies: a study design of a randomised trial.

Judith K Sluiter,Henk F van der Molen,Steven Visser,Monique HW Frings-Dresen

doi:10.1186/1471-2474-15-132

Judith K Sluiter, Henk F van der Molen + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2474-15-132

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Abstract

BackgroundMore than seven out of 10 Dutch construction workers describe their work as physically demanding. Ergonomic measures can be used to reduce these physically demanding work tasks. To increase the use of ergonomic measures, employers and workers have to get used to other working methods and to maintaining them. To facilitate this behavioural change, participatory ergonomics (PE) interventions could be useful. For this study a protocol of a PE intervention is adapted in such a way that the intervention can be performed by an ergonomics consultant through face-to-face contacts or email contacts. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the face-to-face guidance strategy and the e-guidance strategy on the primary outcome measure: use of ergonomic measures by individual construction workers, and on the secondary outcome measures: the work ability, physical functioning and limitations due to physical problems of individual workers.Methods/DesignThe present study is a randomised intervention trial of six months in 12 companies to establish the effects of a PE intervention guided by four face-to-face contacts (N = 6) or guided by 13 email contacts (N = 6) on the primary and secondary outcome measures at baseline and after six months. Construction companies are randomly assigned to one of the guidance strategies with the help of a computer generated randomisation table. In addition, a process evaluation for both strategies will be performed to determine reach, dose delivered, dose received, precision, competence, satisfaction and behavioural change to find possible barriers and facilitators for both strategies. A cost-benefit analysis will be performed to establish the financial consequences of both strategies. The present study is in accordance with the CONSORT statement.DiscussionThe outcome of this study will help to 1) evaluate the effect of both guidance strategies, and 2) find barriers to and facilitators of both guidance strategies. When these strategies are effective, implementation within occupational health services can take place to guide construction companies (and others) with the implementation of ergonomic measures.Trail registrationTrailnumber: ISRCTN73075751, Date of registration: 30 July 2013.

Highlights

More than seven out of 10 Dutch construction workers describe their work as physically demanding
The effectiveness will be assessed on 1) the primary outcome measure concerning the use of ergonomic measures by individual construction workers, and the secondary outcome measures concerning health outcomes: work ability, physical functioning and limitations due to physical problems of individual construction workers; 2) a process evaluation, and 3) a cost-benefit evaluation
The effectiveness of both guidance strategies will be compared on the use of ergonomic measures, work ability, physical functioning, limitations due to physical problems of individual construction workers, a process evaluation and a cost-benefit evaluation

Summary

Introduction

More than seven out of 10 Dutch construction workers describe their work as physically demanding. To increase the use of ergonomic measures, employers and workers have to get used to other working methods and to maintaining them. To reduce the exposure towards physical risk factors, different strategies are used, such as informational, educational, and facilitative strategies [7]. These strategies or combinations of strategies influence the process of reducing physical risk factors This process consists of different behavioural phases; awareness of the risk factors; attitude towards ergonomic measures; change of behaviour; and the ability to change the behaviour. Construction workers must pass through these behavioural phases before they can make use of the ergonomic measures. In addition to the construction workers, other actor groups within the construction company must pass the behavioural phases to facilitate the use of ergonomic measures [7,8]

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