Computer-based training for food services workers at a hospital.

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health and Safety
• Educational Technology
• Workplace Training

Background:

• 73 food service workers in an urban hospital participated in interactive computer-based safety instruction (CBI).
• Focus on improving safety knowledge and practices in a high-risk environment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of computer-based safety instruction (CBI) on knowledge acquisition and behavioral changes in hospital food service workers.
• To assess the generalization of learned safety principles to the actual work environment.

Main Methods:

• Pre- and post-testing of knowledge accuracy.
• On-the-job assessment of knowledge application and work practices.
• Observation and quantification of specific kitchen safety conditions (e.g., puddles) adjusted for workload.

Main Results:

• Significant improvement in post-test accuracy (95%) compared to pre-test (74.5%), with a large effect size (d = 1.09).
• On-the-job accuracy increased from 46% to 79% (p < 0.0001), demonstrating knowledge generalization.
• Despite initial slight increases in some hazards, a significant overall decline in problematic kitchen conditions was observed (0.58 to 0.32, p = 0.0001, d = 0.89), alongside work practice improvements in 79% of workers (p < 0.0001, d = 1.00).

Conclusions:

• Computer-based safety instruction (CBI) is highly effective in enhancing safety knowledge and translating it into improved workplace practices.
• The observed benefits of CBI extend beyond theoretical knowledge to practical application and a reduction in workplace hazards.
• The study indicates a smaller gap between knowledge and behavior change with CBI compared to other training methods.