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The Hazard Communication Standard (HCS), promulgated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in 1983, required the evaluation of health hazards, labeling of containers, the creation, use and dissemination of material safety data sheets (MSDSs), and employee training. This training was to include information about the identity of hazardous compounds to which workers may be exposed, the health and physical hazards associated with the compounds, the means to detect exposure, and methods for protecting workers against the adverse effects of exposure. The standard is a ''performance based standard'', specifying what must be done, not how it is to be done. The authors present an evaluation of a training program that was intended to bring a United States manufacturing firm into compliance with these regulations. The firm had 50 facilities throughout the country. The program was jointly developed, managed and implemented by the union and management. The evaluation process was set up to: (1) measure planning and implementation at five sites; (2) assess direct program impact on employee attitudes, knowledge and work practices; and (3) assess indirect impact of the program on plant working conditions, and other health- and safety-related activities. Data were collected in three phases; as training was completed, one year after training, and two years after training. The responses were catalogued and, in general, indicated moderate success in the study sites. The design, construction and presentation of the program had significant impact on the success of the training effort. This program was presented differently in the five locations, resulting in different degrees of success. Subsequent training and safety efforts met with greater success when the need for adopting a uniform presentation was recognized and applied. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

A survey of office workers at four sites was conducted by Columbia University School of Public Health during 1981 and 1982 to explore the relationships between office working conditions and employee health. Walk through surveys of each site were conducted by the research team with joint labor-management sponsorship. A total of 2074 non-managerial office workers filled out a 30-minute self-administered questionnaire at their respective workplaces. Multiple item scales were tested and constructed to measure indoor air quality and ergonomic factors. Significant differences in ergonomic conditions and air quality between the sites were observed. These differences corresponded with researcher observations prior to the surveys. Significant associations between the reported air quality and respiratory symptoms and between ergonomic factors and musculoskeletal symtoms were found. Specificity of the relationship between reports about the environment and health symptoms was demonstrated. The implications of this approach for industrial hygiene investigations of non-industrial environments are discussed.