Effectiveness of interventions for preventing injuries in the construction industry: results of an updated Cochrane systematic review

Various interventions to prevent occupational injuries in the construction industry have been proposed and studied. This continuing updated Cochrane review systematically summarizes the most current scientific evidence on the effectiveness of interventions to prevent injuries associated with construction work. Search terms that covered the concepts of ‘construction workers’, ‘injury’, ’safety’ and ‘study design’ were used to identify intervention studies in five electronic databases up to April 2017. Acceptable study designs included randomized controlled trials (RCT), controlled before–after studies (CBA) and interrupted time series (ITS). In total 17 studies, 14 ITS and three CBA studies, from the US (6), UK (2), Italy (3), Denmark (1), Finland (1), Austria (1) Germany (1) Spain (1), Belgium (1) met the inclusion criteria. Most studies were at high risk of bias. There is very low-quality evidence that introducing regulations as such may or may not result in a decrease in fatal and non-fatal injuries. There is also very low-quality evidence that regionally oriented safety campaigns, training, inspections or the introduction of occupational health services may not reduce non-fatal injuries in construction companies. There is very low-quality evidence that company-oriented safety interventions such as a multifaceted safety campaign, a multifaceted drug workplace programme and subsidies for replacement of scaffoldings may reduce non-fatal injuries among construction workers

Interventions to prevent injuries in construction workers

Background Construction workers are frequently exposed to various types of injury-inducing hazards. A number of injury prevention interventions have been proposed, yet their effectiveness is uncertain. Objectives To assess the effects of interventions to prevent injuries in construction workers. Search methods We searched the Cochrane Injuries Group’s specialised register, CENTRAL,MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO,OSH-ROM(including NIOSHTIC and HSELINE), Scopus, Web of Science and EI Compendex to September 2011. The searches were not restricted by language or publication status. The reference lists of relevant papers and reviews were also searched. Selection criteria Randomised controlled trials, controlled before-after (CBA) studies and interrupted time series (ITS) of all types of interventions for preventing fatal and non-fatal injuries among workers at construction sites. Data collection and analysis Two review authors independently selected studies, extracted data and assessed study quality. For ITS, we re-analysed the studies and used an initial effect, measured as the change in injury-rate in the year after the intervention, as well as a sustained effect, measured as the change in time trend before and after the intervention

Rehabilitation and return to work after cancer — instruments and practices

The ‘Rehabilitation and return to work after cancer — instruments and practices’ project provides an insight into the issues surrounding rehabilitation and return to work (RTW) after a cancer diagnosis and the problems encountered by workers affected by cancer and their employers. Furthermore, the report presents recommendations for instruments, practices, policies and interventions to successfully support the RTW of workers affected by cancer. Each year, an estimated 3.4 million new cases of cancer are diagnosed in Europe. About half of the people diagnosed with cancer are of working age. Although cancer occurrence differs from one region to another in Europe, the most frequent forms of cancer are breast, colorectal, prostate and lung cancer. These types of cancer were estimated to account for over half of the overall burden of cancer in Europe in 2012. The impact of cancer on a person’s daily life is immediate and striking. The diagnosis usually results in long periods of sickness absence because of medical treatments and functional restrictions. Although, in general, cancer management has improved over the past three decades and the overall number of people who survive cancer is increasing, many cancer survivors still face long-term symptoms and impairments after their treatment ends, such as fatigue. These symptoms and impairments can affect the workability of cancer survivors, making it more difficult to remain in or re-enter the job market. Research shows that most cancer survivors are able to remain in or return to work, but that overall the risk of unemployment among cancer survivors is 1.4 times higher than among people who have never been diagnosed with cancer. Optimising the rehabilitation and RTW of workers affected by cancer is therefore important to both improve the well-being of this vulnerable group and reduce the societal and financial impacts of cancer on European enterprises and society at large. Instruments, practices, policies and interventions aimed at the promotion of rehabilitation and RTW are clearly important. This ‘Rehabilitation and return to work after cancer — instruments and practices’ project reports on the emerging issue of rehabilitation and RTW after cancer and provides national examples of successful instruments, practices, policies and interventions to prevent long-term sickness absences and unemployment. The project is divided into the following main tasks: a literature review on rehabilitation and RTW after a cancer diagnosis; detailed descriptions of instruments, practices, policies and interventions to support rehabilitation and RTW after a cancer diagnosis; company case studies; qualitative research with experts and intermediaries; support for the EU-OSHA stakeholder seminar

Interventions to prevent injuries in construction workers [Version 4, 2018]

Background Construction workers are frequently exposed to various types of injury-inducing hazards. There are a number of injury prevention interventions, yet their effectiveness is uncertain. Objectives To assess the effects of interventions for preventing injuries in construction workers. Search methods We searched the Cochrane Injuries Group’s specialised register, CENTRAL (issue 3), MEDLINE, Embase and PsycINFO up to April 2017. The searches were not restricted by language or publication status. We also handsearched the reference lists of relevant papers and reviews. Selection criteria Randomised controlled trials, controlled before-after (CBA) studies and interrupted time-series (ITS) of all types of interventions for preventing fatal and non-fatal injuries among workers at construction sites. Data collection and analysis Two review authors independently selected studies, extracted data and assessed their risk of bias. For ITS studies, we re-analysed the studies and used an initial effect, measured as the change in injury rate in the year after the intervention, as well as a sustained effect, measured as the change in time trend before and after the intervention