SAFE Work Australia has published a follow-up report reviewing the literature on worker safety behaviour and the factors influencing workers’ understanding of the dangers of asbestos.
The follow-up report, titled ‘Asbestos Exposure and Compliance Study of Construction and Maintenance Workers Follow-up Report’, stems from a 2009 Asbestos Exposure and Compliance Study of Construction and Maintenance Workers.
The original report findings were published in February 2010 and focused on electricians, carpenters, plumbers and painters.
In Australia, asbestos was used generously in the past. As such, large volumes of in-situ asbestos are still present in many older buildings and in water and sewerage pipes.
The follow up report aims to conduct a brief literature review of worker safety behaviour models to provide background information on factors influencing worker safety behaviours, examine which factors influenced workers’ understanding of the risk of asbestos, and examine which factors influenced compliance with safe work practices when working with asbestos containing materials.
Data from the computer assisted telephone interview phase of the Asbestos Study were used for this report. It was found that age and whether the person works alone or works with others did not predict understanding of the risk of asbestos.
Workers who reported receiving information on risks of exposure to asbestos from trade training, trade associations or trade unions were more likely to report having a greater understanding of the risks compared to workers receiving information from media channels.
Additionally, workers who considered that exposure to asbestos was more likely at their workplace were more likely to follow safe work practices compared to those workers who thought exposure was less likely.
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