This study evaluated risk factors for injurious and noninjurious slips, trips, and falls among painters and investigated the hypothesis that exposure to solvents influenced the risk of such accidents. The data were collected longitudinally over an 11 month period. Weekly self-administered questionnaires detailed paint solvent exposure; work-related slips, trips, and falls (STFs); and potentially hazardous job tasks and environmental conditions. An initial questionnaire ascertained personal data, such as age, solvent exposure history, and alcohol consumption. During the study, 2,088 person-weeks of data were collected. Some participants provided many weeks of data, while others responded sporadically. Exposure to potentially hazardous environmental conditions was significantly related to the occurrence of STFs during a week. Several measures of solvent exposure were evaluated for their effect on STFs. Low solvent exposure during a week significantly increased the occurrence of slips, trips, and falls compared to no exposure. Moderate and high weekly exposure were not associated with increased risk, however. Week-to-week variability in the amount of solvent exposure was a strong positive predictor of STFs. Further analysis showed that both increases and decreases in solvent exposure between the preceding 2 weeks and the week of the STF were positively related to the risk of such events. The strongest effect was observed for exposure increases over the preceding 2 weeks. Overall, the results suggest that solvent exposure variability may increase accident risk, and possible explanations are explored.

WHITE MC, BAKER EL, LARSON MB, WOLFORD R. The role of personal beliefs and social influences as determinants of respirator use among construction painters. Scand J Work Environ Health 14 (1988) 239-245. The purpose of this study was to identify and rank potential determinants of respirator use among painter s in the construction industry. As part of a health survey of un ion painters , 169 male spray painters were questioned about their own beliefs concerning the consequences of wearing cartridge respirators, as well as about the perceived attitudes of others in the workplace toward respirators. Intended respirator use was more strongly associated with beliefs than was past use. The most important beliefs concerned discomfort or inconvenience. Other determinants that were associated with respirator use were respirator availability , cigarette smoking, and social influences. It was concluded that the most effective intervention strategy to increase respirator use would be multidimensional and that efforts to chan ge only a worker 's beliefs may have limited success.

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