Our team has worked with floor layer, sheet metal, and carpenter trades to identify work activities that require high physical demands. From these injury risk factor identifications, we trained multi-level teams using a participatory ergonomics program specific to their work tasks and environment.
Specifically, we have sought to describe a process evaluation for use in a participatory ergonomic training program in construction workers and to evaluate its utility in a demonstration project among floor layers.
In addition, we have studied the physical exposures and high-risk work tasks among floor layers. After observing and analyzing videos of floor layers, we found that the positions and exposures of floor layers stress multiple body parts, which may contribute to their increased rates of musculoskeletal disorders.
We have also sought to develop a program logic model and evaluation plan for a participatory ergonomics (PE) intervention in construction. After developing the model, we used it to describe the efficacy of our PE intervention. We found that our model provided useful information to help interpret the results of the PE program.