Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #104546

Steven Hecker, MSPH, Labor Education Research Center, University of Oregon, 1289 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, 541-346-2788, shecker@oregon.uoregon.edu

Many tasks in construction pose high risks for musculoskeletal injury. Research and training efforts over the past 10-15 years have identified many of these risks and proposed interventions for a number of trades and tasks to reduce these risks. Adoption of such interventions has had mixed success and ergonomic change remains a challenge in construction. This presentation describes a project that applies insights from successful community health initiatives to the diffusion of ergonomic innovations in construction. We examine how, why, and by whom different types of innovations are adopted and attempt to match communication and marketing strategies to the types of individuals and organizations in construction most likely to adopt specific ergonomic innovations. This includes peer-to-peer, expert to early adopter, and other models. Experience to date with specific innovations in carpentry tools will be presented.

Learning Objectives: