Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is increasingly being used to better understand and improve the health of diverse communities. A key strength of this research orientation is its adaptability to community contexts and characteristics. To date, however, few studies explicitly discuss adaptations made to CBPR principles and processes in response to community context and partners' needs. Using data from our CBPR study, the San Francisco Chinatown Restaurant Worker Health and Safety Project, and drawing from literature on immigrant political incorporation, we examine the links between the contexts of the Chinese immigrant worker community, adaptations made by our collaborative, and study outcomes. In particular, we explore the concepts of contexts of reception and participatory starting points, which may be especially relevant for partnerships with immigrant communities whose members have historically had lower rates of civic and political participation in the US. We discuss contextual findings such as worker partner accounts of language barriers, economic and social marginalization, and civic skills and participation, as well as subsequent adaptations made by the partnership. We also describe the relative effectiveness of these adaptations in yielding equitable participation and building partners' capacity. We conclude by sharing lessons learned and their implications for CBPR and partnerships with immigrant communities more broadly.

CBPR holds promise for both studying worker health and safety among immigrant Chinese restaurant workers and developing culturally appropriate research tools. A new observational checklist also has potential for restaurant-level data collection on worker health and safety conditions.

SYNOPSISObjective. We developed and assessed a program designed to help small business owners/managers conduct short training sessions with their employees, involve employees in identifying and addressing workplace hazards, and make workplace changes (including physical and work practice changes) to improve workplace safety.Methods. During 2006, in partnership with a major workers' compensation insurance carrier and a restaurant trade association, university-based trainers conducted workshops for more than 200 restaurant and food service owners/managers. Workshop participants completed posttests to assess their knowledge, attitudes, and intentions to implement health and safety changes. On-site follow-up interviews with 10 participants were conducted three to six months after the training to assess the extent to which program components were used and worksite changes were made.Results. Post-training assessments demonstrated that attendees increased their understanding and commitment to health and safety, and felt prepared to provide health and safety training to their employees. Follow-up interviews indicated that participants incorporated core program concepts into their training and supervision practices. Participants conducted training, discussed workplace hazards and solutions with employees, and made changes in the workplace and work practices to improve workers' health and safety.Conclusions. This program demonstrated that owners of small businesses can adopt a philosophy of employee involvement in their health and safety programs if provided with simple, easy-to-use materials and a training demonstration. Attending a workshop where they can interact with other owners/ managers of small restaurants was also a key to the program's success. The restaurant and food service industry in California employs one million workers, largely low-paid, vulnerable workers, including many immigrant and young workers. Ninety percent of these businesses have fewer than 50 employees (half have fewer than 10 employees) 1 and often lack the health and safety information and resources typically available to larger businesses. 2,3 In addition, the fast-paced nature of restaurant and food service work and the tight profit margins for many small restaurants pose challenges for integrating effective health and safety training.In Research has indicated that work culture issues, including management's commitment to and employees' engagement in health and safety, may be more important than training per se in actually preventing injuries.4-6 Yet, previously developed educational tools on restaurant health and safety did not provide employers with specific activities to support this approach. 7-9The focus of the Small Business Restaurant Supervisor Safety Training program was to encourage restaurant owners/managers to train their employees in a way that actively engages them in identifying hazards as well as solutions, and demonstrates management's commitment to making the workplace changes that are identified (including physical and wo...

Welders and painters in this plant appeared to have increased risk of respiratory health effects compared with assembly workers.

The Asphalt Paving Partnership offers insight into how multi-stakeholder partnerships in construction can draw upon the strengths of diverse members to improve the dissemination and adoption of health and safety innovations and build a collaborative infrastructure to sustain momentum over time.