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Purpose: In Australia and elsewhere, suicide rates among construction workers remain high. Construction workplaces are thus an important setting for targeted suicide prevention programs. This study aimed to compare suicide prevention literacy and help-seeking intentions among participants receiving face-to-face suicide prevention training, with those receiving face-to-face training augmented by a smartphone application. Methods: A two-arm randomised controlled trial of a smartphone suicide prevention intervention was conducted among construction workers in four Australian states (trial registration number: ACTRN12619000625178). All participants received face-to-face training and were randomised to the control condition (face-to-face only, n = 575), or MATESmobile condition (face-to-face + smartphone application,n = 509). Surveys administered at baseline and 3-month follow-up measured suicide prevention literacy and help-seeking intentions for personal/emotional problems and suicidal thoughts. A mixed-model repeated measures (MMRM) analysis included all 1084 randomised participants. Results: Outcomes did not differ significantly for suicide prevention literacy, nor help-seeking intentions from formal sources, informal sources outside the workplace, or no one (did not intend to seek help from anyone). However, relative to those in the control condition, those in the MATESmobile group showed greater increase in help-seeking intentions for emotional problems from a MATES worker/Connector (mean difference 0.54, 95% CI 0.22–0.87) and help-seeking intentions for suicidal thoughts from a workmate (mean difference 0.47, 95% CI 0.10–0.83) or MATES worker/Connector (mean difference 0.47, 95% CI 0.09–0.85). Conclusion: Results indicate that the MATESmobile application, together with face-to-face training, is beneficial in enhancing help-seeking intentions from MATES workers/Connectors and workmates to a greater extent than face-to-face training only. While this research provides some evidence that smartphone applications may support suicide prevention training, further research is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychosocial job quality has been proven to be linked to workers' mental health. Drawing on a life course perspective, this study sought to identify, compare, and contrast the psychosocial characteristics of job quality that are related to mental health in three age groups of manual/nonmanagerial construction workers, i.e., young workers, middle-aged workers, and older workers. Data were extracted from the national and longitudinal Household, Income, and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey data set. The study used 15 waves of data from the HILDA survey with 6,352 responses from 1,768 participants. Longitudinal random-intercept regression models were used to examine the association between each of five aspects of job quality (i.e., job demands and complexity, job control, perceived job security, effort-reward fairness, and job intensity) and mental health. Overall, the research results showed that construction workers' mental health declined when experiencing adverse job conditions and the magnitude of decline increased as the number of job adversities increased. Specifically, workers of the midage group experienced more accelerated decline in mental health compared with the other two groups when experiencing two adverse job conditions. Age-related differences were also identified in the way that individual job quality aspects are related to mental health. Although low job security and perceived unfairness of effort and reward were significant predictors of mental ill-health in all age groups, job demand and complexity and high job intensity were predictors of mental ill-health in midage and older construction workers but were not significant contributors to mental ill-health among younger workers. The findings highlight the need to develop targeted approaches to protecting and promoting the mental health of construction workers in different age groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A qualitative investigation of the relationship between the experience of bodily pain and work-life balance was conducted in a sample of manual/non-managerial workers in the Australian construction industry. Participants were purposefully selected for the study on the basis that they reported experiencing ongoing bodily pain. Thematic analysis of the interview data revealed that participants perceive their pain to have substantial impacts on their ability to participate successfully in family life and in social and leisure activities, indicating that the experience of bodily pain has a negative impact on the work-life balance of these manual/non-managerial construction workers. Participants regularly seek remedial treatment outside of work and adapt their activities in order to cope with their pain. Results suggest that for workers in physically demanding jobs, work-life conflict may extend beyond a time-, strain- and behaviour-based model and include a physical capacity component. The research also proposes a new form of time-based work-life conflict which occurs through an indirect pathway through which pain negatively impacts time available for non-work activities. These findings suggest that organisational work-life balance initiatives should also consider the physicality of work, which can contribute, through musculoskeletal pain, to work-life conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Construction work is physically demanding, and incidences of physical injury and work disability are high. This study explores musculoskeletal bodily pain and the impact this has on construction workers' mental health. A mixed-method approach incorporated survey and interview data. Sixty-seven construction workers completed a survey consisting of work ability and mental health measures. Eighteen workers who completed a survey participated in an interview exploring the occurrence and management of body pain, and the impact of pain on mental health. Survey findings indicated that participants whose pain had originated from work had significantly higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress severity. Findings also revealed that depression, anxiety, and stress had a negative relationship with work ability indicators, suggesting that work ability is likely to decline when workers experience poor mental health. Key themes emerging from the interview data comprised of the expectation of pain, managing pain, impact of pain on mental health, pressure to work with pain, work ability and planning for the future, and the stigma of mental health. A conceptual model is presented which illustrates the relationship between work tasks, pain, mental health, and work ability. The model identifies that anticipated and experienced bodily pain creates harmful psychological demands for workers which impacts on their mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effectiveness of occupational health and safety (OHS) training programs is dependent on the extent to which workers transfer OHS knowledge, skills and abilities acquired from OHS training into post-training workplace performance. However, the lack of training transfer has long been a critical problem in the construction industry. As an attempt to gain a better understanding of the transfer of training, this research investigated factors affecting construction workers' OHS training transfer intention. A questionnaire survey was used to collect data from Australian construction workers, and 295 valid responses were obtained. Partial least squares structural equation modelling was used to test the model of transfer intention adapted from the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). Multigroup analysis was conducted to identify the similarities and differences in terms of factors affecting transfer intention among managerial/professional and non-managerial/manual construction workers. The research found that the TPB can be used to explain the transfer intention of OHS training among construction workers. Perceived behavioural control was found to be an antecedent of the intention to transfer among both groups of workers. However, attitudes only predicted transfer intention among managerial/professional workers, while subjective norms only predicted transfer intention among non-managerial/manual construction workers. The study provided a good understanding of the formation of transfer intention among managerial/professional and non-managerial/manual construction workers and identified critical factors influencing the transfer intention of these two groups. This new knowledge is useful for training providers and construction organisations to develop targeted strategies to increase the transfer of OHS skills and knowledge among construction workers and improve the effectiveness of OHS training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the potential to use infographics to capture, represent and communicate important information to construction designers, such that it improves their ability to understand the implications of design choices for construction workers’ health and safety.Design/methodology/approach Drawing on information obtained through a photographic Q-sort, supplemented with a literature review, health and safety information related to the design of a façade was collected from subject matter experts. This information was used to develop infographics representing the subject matter knowledge. A facilitated workshop was then held with 20 design professionals to engage them in a hazard identification process using a case study scenario. The designers were provided with the infographics and asked to comment upon how the infographics changed their assessments of the health and safety risks inherent in the case study building design. A sub-set of participants was interviewed to explore their perceptions of the impact and usefulness of the inforgraphics.Findings Infographics were developed at different levels of detail, representing potential health and safety issues associated with the site location and surroundings, the construction site environment and the detailed façade design. Workshop participants identified a number of potential health and safety issues associated with the case study scenario. However, this number increased substantially once they had viewed the infographic. Further, the health and safety issues identified when participants had access to the infographic were more likely to be less visible issues, relating to ergonomic hazards, procurement or the organisation and sequencing of work. The workshop participants who were interviewed described how the infographics enabled them to make a more global assessment of the health and safety implications of the case study building design because it helped them to understand the design in the physical construction site context. Participants also favoured the visual nature of the infographics and suggested that this format may be particularly useful to communicate important health and safety information to novice designers with limited on-site experience.Research limitations/implications The infographics developed in this research were relatively simple two-dimensional representations produced and presented in hard copy format. It is possible that more sophisticated forms of infographic could have produced different results. Thus, it is important that future research develops different types of infographics and rigorously evaluates their effectiveness in developing designers’ health and safety-related knowledge and improving decision making.Practical implications The results indicate that simple infographics can help design professionals to better understand the health and safety implications of design decisions in the context of the construction site environment. In particular, the infographics appear to have increased designers’ ability to recognize less visible health and safety-related issues. The designers interviewed also described the potential usefulness of the infographics in design workshops as a tool to stimulate discussion and develop a shared understanding of the health and safety aspects of a particular design decision or choice.Originality/value The value of the research lies in the development and evaluation of infographics as a tool supports the integration of health and safety into design decision making. The potential to develop these tools into digital or web-based resources is also significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Construction workers suffer poor mental and physical health. To address this, organizations have implemented behavioural health promotion programmes. However, targeting workers’ lifestyle behaviour without addressing relevant environmental factors is unlikely to produce significant or sustained improvement. An ecological perspective offers a different way of understanding the determinants of health, reflecting the interplay of factors at multiple levels and the dynamic, reciprocal and non-linear relationships between them. Qualitative data collected during focus groups and in interviews with workers and managers were analysed to explore factors impacting the effectiveness of a health promotion programme implemented at two work sites in Queensland, Australia. A qualitative causal loop diagram identifying determinants of construction workers’ health behaviour was developed. The findings suggest that the adoption of healthy behaviours is influenced by factors operating at and between individual, family, workplace and industry levels. These factors suggest key leverage points that can be addressed in the design of future health promotion interventions for the construction industry. The research provides qualitative evidence of the need to consider workers’ health in a holistic way and develop multi-level strategies to produce improved health behaviour and outcomes in the construction industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Work–life fit occurs when people have the resources required to meet demands such that role performance (both at work and in non-work life domains) is effective. Interviews were conducted with 59 construction workers based in Melbourne, Australia to explore how demands and resources were experienced. Using a systems framework, data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results identified two demand typologies associated with demand-to-demand interaction. Demands operating as ‘influencers’ have a major impact on the conditions of the interdependent demand, while demands operating as ‘creators’ generate a new demand and shape the conditions of that demand. One resource typology related to resource–demand interaction was identified. ‘Enabling resources’ enable an individual to manage multiple demands across multiple domains, and may also enable an individual to manage multiple demands within a single domain. A new conceptual contribution is made to an area in which theory is under-developed, by adopting a systems approach to understanding the dynamic interactions between demands and resources. A lack of fit is damaging for the individual; therefore, it is useful to know that demands and resources are interdependent and these interdependencies will vary according to individuals. Using a systems approach to understanding demands and resources will be helpful to organizations seeking to support workers to achieve optimal work–life fit. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Construction organizations are large and complex with decentralized structures, and characterized by non-routine work undertaken by semi-autonomous work groups. Construction workers’ perceptions of safety climate can form at different levels and vary between subunits. A multilevel safety climate measurement tool was proposed, which identified five important safety agents, i.e. client, principal contractor, supervisor, co-workers, and individual workers. Surveys were conducted at three construction projects commissioned by Fonterra Co-operative Group. A total of 356 participants completed the survey. The data was subject to scale reliability analysis and factor analysis. The results showed that all scales achieved satisfactory internal consistency and the multilevel factorial structure was generally supported. At the organizational level, the tool measures clients’ overall safety priority and safety actions, and principal contractors’ general commitment to safety. At the group level, the tool measures supervisors’ safety actions and safety expectations, and co-workers’ general safety values and practices. The tool also measures individual safety responses reflected by safety compliance and safety participation. The measurement tool would help construction organizations to diagnose potential weaknesses in their safety management practices for safety improvement and also help to develop a social and cultural work environment that is supportive of safety at all levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photographic Q-methodology was used to explore construction professionals’ mental models of occupational health and safety (OHS). Sixty Australian construction professionals participated in the research, including 15 architects, 15 engineers, 15 constructors and 15 OHS professionals. Participants were asked to sort photographs depicting different building systems into a grid based upon their judgement of the likelihood of accidental injury resulting from the construction of each of the building systems depicted. Responses ranged from Rare (–2) to Almost certain (+2). Sorting patterns relating to eight photographs of different façade systems were analysed using Q factor analysis. Three distinct sorting pattern types were identified in the data, representing clusters of participants whose sorting patterns were similar. These sorting pattern types cut across occupational/professional groups. Interpretation of the factors revealed substantial differences between the OHS judgements made by participants in the three clusters. Qualitative explanatory information revealed participants in the three clusters used different attributes when considering the likelihood of accidental injury. These attributes shaped their sorting patterns. The results suggest shared mental models (SMMs) are unlikely to exist in construction project teams, as each individual uses their own frame of reference to understand OHS. Opportunities exist to understand these different frames of reference and create more consistent team mental models of OHS. However, incorporating a diversity of viewpoints into project decision-making is recommended in order to produce effective decision-making in the choice or specification of building systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Construction workers are a high risk group for poor health and occupational disability. A participatory action research (PAR) project was undertaken at construction sites in Queensland, Australia. Using the PAR framework, a needs-based health promotion planning model was implemented. Health promotion measures were designed to address the ‘SNAPO’ health risk factors (i.e. smoking, nutrition, alcohol consumption, insufficient physical exercise and overweight/obesity). At the largest site participating in the research, preliminary health assessments revealed levels of physical health that were comparable with those of the general Australian population. The construction workers’ mental health was poorer than that of the general Australian population. A consultation workshop with a representative group of workers at the site identified healthy eating, smoking cessation and physical exercise as priority areas for intervention. Several health promotion measures addressing these issues were implemented, including a quit smoking programme, a ‘healthy options’ menu in the site canteen, healthy eating and cooking workshops and onsite yoga and stretching sessions. A subset of workers at the site reported their health behaviour in weekly ‘logs’. The log data revealed fluctuations in health behaviour over a 14-week period. Evaluation interviews and a focus group revealed environmental impediments to the adoption of healthy lifestyle behaviours. Workers identified the need to provide a work environment that is supportive of healthy behaviour as critical to the effectiveness of specific health promotion measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Demands and resources are central to work–life fit. However, they are often not clearly defined within the work–life literature, lack consistency and/or are ambiguous or too narrowly defined. Furthermore, there has been more emphasis on the work and family domains, while the community domain has often been excluded. In seeking to better understand the work–life experience of individuals, interviews were held with nine construction workers to review and verify a full set of specific demands and resources originating in the work, family and community domains in a specific Australian industry. There was evidence of an additional domain of work–life strain relating to personal activities. A total of 112 demands and resources were identified in the research. The structure and nature of work undertaken in the construction industry is different from that in many other industries, therefore the demands and resources identified through the study may not be generalizable to other industries. However, the methodological approach may be applied in other industries to explore industry-specific demands and resources across the work, home, community and personal domains. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A comparison of the experiences of employees working in construction for a public sector organization and a private sector company was undertaken. Similarities and differences in work-family balance between these sectors have not previously been explored. A quantitative approach, utilizing online questionnaires, assessed employees' perceptions, and work-family practices, including proactively blending work and family demands with flexible hours and positive organizational and supervisor support, were examined. Independent -tests compared the public sector and private sector employees' responses. Private sector employees reported higher levels of work interference with family life. They worked longer hours, had significantly less work-related flexibility, greater work-family conflict, and more difficulty managing family responsibilities than public sector employees. Recommendations are made from practices identified within the public sector to improve private sector employees' ability to balance work and family demands. In addition, rotation of staff between the public and private sector should be investigated to improve work-family balance and advance cultural change within the construction industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing upon an empirical analysis of the design and construction of a food processing facility, a theoretical understanding of the impact of design decision-making on the occupational health and safety (OHS) of construction workers is developed. It is argued that current policy and legislative approaches to Construction Hazard Prevention through Design (CHPtD) are inherently limited because they do not adequately reflect the socio-material complexity of decision-making in construction design. Specifically, the simplistic attribution of responsibility to a single socio-technical actor, ‘the designer’, does not reflect the multiple and disparate influences that impact upon OHS outcomes. Nor do existing CHPtD policy frameworks, management processes and tools recognize the manner in which the interactions and associations between relevant project stakeholders and various non-human artefacts shape (and are also influenced by) the evolution of design decisions. Drawing on actor-network theory (ANT) and using embedded units within a case study approach, the interactions between human actors and non-human artefacts are explored in relation to the design of four components of the food processing facility. The way in which design decisions unfolded and shaped OHS experiences during the construction stage of the project is revealed. The research highlights limitations inherent in current approaches to the management of CHPtD and the need to develop a more robust theoretically based approach to integrating OHS considerations into construction design practice. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose – The paper's aim is to document a survey of Australian construction workers that was conducted to examine whether conditions of within-group homogeneity and between-group heterogeneity in perceptions of coworkers' safety response were satisfied. The factor structure of coworkers' safety response is to be explored and the relationship between workgroup members' perceptions of their coworkers' safety response and the workgroups' injury rate is to be examined in three organizations. Design/methodology/approach – A safety climate survey was conducted within three organizations. Retrospective and prospective workgroup injury data were collected from company records. The factor structure of coworkers' safety response was analysed using principal components analysis (PCA). Within-group homogeneity and between-group heterogeneity were examined using inter-rater agreement and analyses of variance respectively. Bivariate correlations were used to explore linkages between perceptions of coworkers' safety response and workgroup injury rates. Findings – Two distinct factors were indicated by the PCA were labeled "Coworkers' actual safety response" and "Coworkers' ideal safety response". "Coworkers' actual safety response" demonstrated significant between-group variance and within-group consensus in two of the three organizations. No significant between-group variation was found for "Coworkers' ideal safety response'. Neither aspect of coworkers' safety response was consistently significantly correlated with workgroup injury rate. Research limitations/implications – Further research should examine the relationship between coworkers' safety response and workgroup safety performance using measures other than reportable injury rates. Practical implications – The confirmation that "Coworkers' actual safety response" is a facet of group safety climate suggests that interventions to develop coworkers' support for safety within workgroups may be helpful. In particular, strategies to speed up the process of assimilation into workgroups through induction and teambuilding exercises should be evaluated. Originality/value – The study builds on previous research examining group safety climate in construction, providing further evidence that coworkers' safety response items should be included along with supervisors' safety response items in the measurement of group safety climate. The findings suggest important directions for future empirical evaluation of the impact of coworkers' response on workgroup safety climate and performance in the construction industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multidimensional work-family conflict (WFC) scale was tested using a sample of 169 workers in the Australian construction industry. The construction sample showed higher mean scores for time-based, strain-based, and behavior-based work-interference with family (WIF) than scores reported in international studies that have used the multidimensional scale. Waged construction workers, who work on-site in direct construction activity, reported higher levels of time-based and strain-based WIF than salaried workers, who work predominantly in office-based roles. Mean levels of family-interference with work (FIW) in the construction sample were generally comparable to levels reported in previous research. A principal components analysis revealed four clear dimensions of WFC. These dimensions were significantly correlated with other variables of theoretical relevance indicating acceptable criterion validity. The experience of WIF varied by workers' employment situation, sex, and work location, while the experience of FIW varied by workers' age. The results suggest that the use of global measures of WFC might mask important differences in construction workers' experiences at the work-family interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Project-based construction workers in the Australian construction industry work long and irregular hours and experience higher levels of work-to-family conflict and burnout than office-based workers, giving rise to an interest in alternative work schedules as a means of supporting work-life balance. Alternative work schedules were implemented in four case study construction projects in Australia. Interventions differed between projects, with two implementing a compressed work week, and the others introducing reduced hours schedules (one of which was optional). Data were collected from each case study project, using various combinations of focus groups, surveys, interviews and daily diary collection methods. The results were mixed. The compressed work week appears to have been favourably received where it was introduced. However, waged workers still expressed concerns about the impact on their weekly 'take-home' pay. Attempts to reduce work hours by changing from a six- to a five-day schedule (without extending the length of the working day between Monday and Friday) were less favourably received. Waged workers, in particular, did not favour reduced hours schedules. The results confirm the existence of two distinct labour markets operating in the Australian construction industry and markedly different responses to alternative work schedules, based upon whether workers are waged or salaried. The results clearly show that attempts to improve work-life balance must take the structural characteristics of the industry's labour markets into consideration in the design of interventions. The impact of alternative work schedules is likely to be moderated by institutional working time regimes within the construction industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The paper sets out to describe the testing of a model of work and family life among a sample of professional and managerial employees in the Australian construction industry. The model positioned work-family conflict as a variable linking experiences in one domain (i.e. work or family) with outcomes in the other domain. Design/methodology/approach - A survey exploring experiences of work and family life was conducted among employees of one large private and one large public sector construction organization in Queensland, Australia. Regression analyses were performed to test the validity of the work-family interface model. Findings - The model was partially supported in that time and strain-based demands in the work domain were linked to family functioning via work interference with family. However, time and strain-based demands in the family domain were not linked to work role outcomes via family interference with work. Research limitations/implications - The survey was cross-sectional so the causal direction of relationships could not be ascertained. Longitudinal research is needed to establish the causal direction of the work-family relationships supported by the research. Further research is also required to examine the effectiveness of strategies designed to reduce work interference with family life in the construction sector. Practical implications - The asymmetry in the relationship between construction employees' work and family lives indicates that the family life of professional and managerial construction employees in Australia is more susceptible to interference from work than work life is susceptible to interference from family life. Originality/value - Provides evidence that, when construction professionals and managers face obligations in one role that interfere with the enactment of a second role, performance in the second role suffers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is unclear where work–family conflict should be theoretically positioned in the relationship between job stress and strain. Data collected from 231 male construction professionals, managers and administrators were analysed to determine whether work–family conflict mediates the relationship between job stressors and burnout. Two different aspects of work–schedule demands, i.e. job schedule irregularity and hours worked per week, were found to be related to the emotional exhaustion dimension of burnout. In all cases, the relationship between job schedule demands and emotional exhaustion was mediated by work–family conflict. The authors conclude that job schedule demands impact upon emotional exhaustion via work–family conflict. Further, work–family conflict is demonstrated to be a key mediating mechanism between schedule demands and emotional exhaustion for male employees. It is recommended that construction organizations examine ways to reduce work–family conflict as a means to reduce burnout and improve employees' wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A survey was conducted among employees of a large Australian construction firm. Comparisons were made between employees who differed by gender and work location. Male employees in site-based roles reported significantly higher levels of work to family conflict and emotional exhaustion than male employees who worked in the regional or head office. Site-based male employees were also less satisfied with their pay than male respondents who worked in the regional or head office. Few significant differences were found between women who worked in different locations. Neither were significant differences between men and women who worked in the same location reported. The results are explained in terms of women's tendency to work in administrative, secretarial or support services roles, which typically demand fewer hours. The paper concludes that the experiences of site-based construction employees, particularly men, warrant further attention to explore the sources of work-life imbalance and burnout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recognition that unsafe behavior is a factor in the majority of workplace accidents has led to considerable research effort in the behavioral aspects of occupational health and safety (OHS). Much of this research has focused on the effect of external stimuli, such as feedback and rewards, on workers' actions. The role of internal cues, such as workers' beliefs and attitudes towards OHS, on their actual behavior has been less thoroughly investigated. This paper presents the findings of a study in which a sample of Australian construction workers' attitudes towards OHS were explored in indepth interviews and their OHS behavior was directly observed. Measurements were taken before and after the workers attended a first aid training course. The results of the study suggest that the first aid training changed the workers' attitudes towards OHS. In particular, the first aid training appeared to make participants more aware that their own behavior is an important factor in the avoidance of occupational injury and increase participants' perceived probability that they would suffer an accident at work. The training also appeared to reduce participants' willingness to accept prevailing levels of OHS risk and participants' expressed a greater concern about taking risks and a stronger intention to avoid occupational injuries after undergoing first aid training. This change in behavioral intention was reflected in improvements in safety behavior observed in the categories of housekeeping, use of tools, personal protective equipment and access to heights. However, no improvements in manual handling were observed. The results of the study are presented and discussed in terms of Ajzen's theory of planned behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyzes the effect of first aid training on construction workers' occupational health and safety motivation and risk control behavior in Australia. Reduction in participants' willingness to accept prevailing levels of occupational safety and health risk; Factors in the avoidance of occupational injury and illness.

A 24 week experiment was conducted to assess the effect of first aid training on small business construction industry participants' understanding of occupational health and safety (OHS) risks and risk controls and their motivation to avoid occupational injuries and illnesses. Participants' subjective understandings of OHS risks, options for risk control and motivation to control OHS risks were explored during in-depth interviews before and after receipt of first aid training. Interview data revealed that, other than raising awareness of the risk of infectious diseases, the first aid training did not increase participants' understandings of the nature or severity of specific OHS risks relevant to their work. First aid training appeared to reduce participants' 'self-other' bias, making them more aware that their experience of OHS risks was not beyond their control but that their own behaviour was also an important factor in the avoidance of occupational injury and illness. First aid training also appeared to reduce participants' willingness to accept prevailing levels of OHS risk. Participants' understandings of methods by which OHS risks can be controlled were unchanged by the first aid training and are limited to individual controls. First aid training did appear to increase participants' perception of the probability that they would suffer a work related injury or illness and they also expressed greater concern about taking risks at work after receiving first aid training. It therefore appears that first aid training enhanced participants' motivation to avoid occupational injuries and illnesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]