An ergonomic education and evaluation program for apprentice carpenters

Eighteen new apprentice carpenters received sixteen hours of ergonomics awareness education as a part of their regular apprenticeship training during 1994 and 1995. An equal number of apprentices received no training but served as controls. The training took place in the Southwest Ohio District Council of Carpenter's Joint Apprenticeship and Training School. The curriculum was designed to be "learner-centered." Instruction included short lectures presented by a journeyman carpenter and emphasized participatory activities in the school's carpentry shop. Ongoing program evaluation assessed trainees' reactions to the content and structure of the curriculum and its influence on their behavior. Trainees and controls completed brief quizzes on ergonomic knowledge. Hands-on exercises enabled trainees to apply recently acquired ergonomic knowledge in the school's carpentry shop. Trainees scored significantly higher on one-half of the post-session quizzes and the comprehensive test. Trainees preferred participatory teaching methods, especially those using redesigned tools (93%) and evaluating ergonomic risks (86%); and they supported continued safety and health education during apprentice training. The authors conclude that apprentice-ship programs should provide regular "learner-centered" occupational safety and health education that includes ergonomics, and these programs should be integrated with their shop-based manual arts instruction.