Impact of a worker notification program: Assessment of attitudinal and behavioral outcomes

Background: Hundreds of worker notification programs are conducted each year to communicate occupational risks to workers. However, few attempts have been made to evaluate their effectiveness and few have described how communication theories are applied in developing notification messages. We developed and assessed the effectiveness of a worker notification program at a beryllium machining plant. Methods: We compared self-protective attitudinal and behavioral responses among workers in two plants: (1) an intervention plant that received beryllium risk notification and (2) a matched control plant that did not receive notification. Results: Workers receiving notification reported significantly stronger perceptions of threat and efficacy, more positive attitudes toward safety practices, and engaged in more protective behaviors than the workers at the control plant. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the utility of applying communication theories in the development of notification messages and the results suggest that mass presentations may be just as effective, if not more so, than one-on-one notifications.