Abstract
Education is a common strategy used to prevent occupational injuries. However, its effectiveness is often measured using surrogate measures instead of true injury outcomes. To evaluate the effectiveness of workplace educational interventions, we selectively analyzed studies that reported injury outcomes (PROSPERO ID: CRD42019140631). We searched databases for peer-reviewed journal articles and sources of grey literature such as abstracts, registered trials, and theses published between 2000 and 2019. Studies on educational interventions that reported fatal or non-fatal occupational injury outcomes were selected. Two reviewers independently and in duplicate screened the studies, extracted data, and assessed risk of bias. Heterogeneity in the data precluded meta-analysis, and the results were reviewed narratively. In total, 35 studies were included. Of which, 17 found a significant reduction in injuries, most of which featured a multifaceted approach or non-didactic education. The remaining studies either described equivocal results or did not report statistical significance. Overall, interventions in the manufacturing industry were more effective than those in the construction sector. Risk of bias among included studies was moderate to high. In conclusion, educational interventions could be an effective part of multifaceted injury prevention programs. However, over-reliance on didactic education alone is not advised.
Highlights
Occupational injuries are a major threat to the health and well-being of workers
We decided to include a number of non-randomized study designs, such as controlled before-and-after studies (CBA), interrupted time studies (ITS), historically controlled studies, prospective cohort studies, and uncontrolled before-and-after studies
Despite widespread use of education in occupational injury prevention programs, limited reviews exist on assessing injury outcomes in recent years
Summary
Occupational injuries are a major threat to the health and well-being of workers. An estimated 380,000 workers lose their lives due to workplace injuries globally, and over 370,000,000 suffer non-fatal injuries [1]. In 2015, the International Labour Organization estimated that a total of USD $2.8 trillion is lost each year due to the direct and indirect effects of occupational hazards globally, accounting for 4% of the world’s GDP [2,3]. Many prevention strategies have been implemented in recent decades in an effort to stem occupational injury levels. These initiatives can be broadly categorized into the “Three E’s of Injury. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 6874; doi:10.3390/ijerph17186874 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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