Message from the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

When you evaluate safety and health changes, you will find that some are successful, some need to be modified, and some have no positive impact on the workplace. Obtaining this valuable information is vital to any business manager, and is the primary focus of this guide. A systematic process is needed to evaluate both a plan or idea for change as well as any implemented intervention. This requires a collaborative effort by both management and employees that should be celebrated, along with any successes in protecting their health and safety at work.

The guide is divided into the following three sections: case studies that illustrate the collaborative effort of employers and workers to evaluate occupational safety and health changes in the workplace; four easy steps outlining how to conduct your own evaluation of safety and health changes in the workplace; and a list of additional resources about these evaluations.

The authors of this guide are members of the Intervention Effectiveness Research Team of the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) effort, sponsored by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). They are an interdisciplinary team of business, academic, labor, and government professionals who believe that the best solutions for workplace health and safety problems are those that have been adequately and thoroughly evaluated. I encourage you to try the methods described in the guide which will enhance your evaluation skills, and add value to your business and your role as a manager and leader.

John Howard, M.D.
Director, NIOSH

Acknowledgements

This guide is a product of the National Occupational Research Agenda Intervention Effectiveness Research Team. We have been inspired and guided by the authors of the Guide to Evaluating the Effectiveness of Strategies for Preventing Work Injuries: Lynda Robson, Harry Shannon, Linda Goldenhar, and Andrew Hale. We are also grateful to those who conducted the case studies we describe: Michael Smith, James Collins, Leonard Banco, Scott Earnest, and those who worked with them. We appreciate the graphic and Web design work done by Vanessa Becks, Anne Stirnkorb and Rohit Verma for this project as well as the editorial work of Susan Feldmann, Amanda Gust and John Diether.