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 [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