March 31, 2004—The National Institute for Safety and Health (NIOSH) has released an online and paper guide for businesses to evaluate the effectiveness of safety and health changes made in the workplace. NIOSH Publication No. 2004-135: Does It Really Work? provides Steps for Evaluating Change; Case Studies (including “Preventing back injuries in nursing homes” and “Controlling chemicals in the air”); Suggested Readings and Resources; and downloadable Forms and Surveys.
Some examples of positive outcomes that employers use to evaluate the effectiveness of safety and health changes include:
- reduced employee injury and illness
- increased employee satisfaction
- improved safe work practices
- reduced absenteeism
- reduced workers’ compensation costs or rates
- increased productivity, and
- improved workplace air quality.
