A long-term evaluation of the stage of change approach and compensable injury outcomes – a cluster-randomised trial

Abstract

This study investigated the long-term injury outcomes for workers in companies from a range of industries which had been randomly allocated to receive ergonomics interventions tailored according to the stage of change (SOC) approach or standard ergonomics advice. Differences in compensable injury outcomes between the groups were analysed using logistic regression models. Questionnaire results from face-to-face interviews to assess musculoskeletal pain and discomfort (MSPD), job satisfaction and other factors were also analysed. Although not significant at the 0.05 level, after adjusting for workgroup clustering, workers in receipt of tailored advice were 55% (OR = 0.45, 95% CI = 0.19-1.08) less likely to report a compensable injury than those in receipt of standard ergonomics advice. Workload, job satisfaction and MSPD were significantly correlated with injury outcomes. The observed outcomes support the potential value of the SOC approach, as well as highlighting the need to consider workload, job satisfaction and MSPD when planning injury prevention programmes. Practitioner Summary: This study investigated compensable injury outcomes for workers who had received ergonomics advice tailored according to the stage of change (SOC) approach compared with standard ergonomics advice. The results support the potential value of the SOC approach and highlight the need to consider workload, job satisfaction and musculoskeletal pain and discomfort when planning injury prevention interventions.

The Emerging Workforce of International University Student Workers: Injury Experience in an Australian University

“…While not explicit in our survey, it is likely that perceptions of wage unfairness and working hours may be associated with low levels of job satisfaction. Previous studies have reported that those who were dissatisfied with their work were almost three times more likely to report pain and four times more likely to experience an injury [ 22 , 23 ].…”

Walking Works Wonders: a tailored workplace intervention evaluated over 24 months

“…They demonstrated that tailored interventions were significantly more effective in changing behaviour and reducing musculoskeletal disorders in a diverse range of workplace settings Haslam 2006, 2007). Rothmore et al (2017) investigated compensable injuries among workers who had received ergonomics advice tailored to stage of change compared to standard ergonomics advice. They demonstrated that those given tailored advice were less likely to report a compensable injury than those given standard advice.…”