Study designs of evaluations included in the review
Controlled studies in which the comparison group was either the same group before the intervention, or another group not exposed to the intervention.
Specific interventions included in the review
The inclusion criteria specified that interventions eligible for inclusion were: environmental modifications to the worksite; educational interventions to change worker behaviour; administrative interventions that reflected changes in company policy; and legislative interventions aimed at changing safety rules in a jurisdiction.
The specific interventions included in the review were: Washington State fall protection regulations, enacted February 1991; behavioural-based safety management focusing on housekeeping, access to heights and bamboo scaffolding; and posters and flyers aimed at scaffold fall safety, plus training seminars.
Participants included in the review
Workers in the construction industry of any age. The authors also included shipyard workers as the actual trades involved are classified in the construction industry.
Outcomes assessed in the review
The outcomes specified in the inclusion criteria were: self-reported falls; self-reported injuries; documented falls; and injuries, or measured or observed changes in behaviour.
Specific outcomes included in the review were: worker compensation claims for fall injuries; score on a standardised safety measurement instrument; and injury rates 2 years following the intervention, compared to those 2 years before the intervention.
How were decisions on the relevance of primary studies made?
Abstracts were independently screened by two investigators to identify possible articles for inclusion. These articles were then obtained and independently screened by two investigators to determine if they met the inclusion criteria.