Impact of a workplace peer-focused substance abuse prevention and early intervention program.
BACKGROUND
PeerCare is a workplace peer intervention program that focuses on changing workplace attitudes toward on-the-job substance use and trains workers to recognize, intervene with, and refer coworkers who have a problem.


METHODS
Monthly injuries at the study company (January 1983 through June 1996) were compared to counts at four other companies in the same industry. Using these panel data, fixed-effects negative binomial regression measured the association of the percentage of the workforce covered by PeerCare with the workplace injury rate.


RESULTS
For every 1% increase in the workforce covered with PeerCare, the risk of injury declined by 0.9984 (95% confidence interval, 0.9975-0.9994). These findings suggest that, by June 1996, when 86% of the workforce was covered under PeerCare, the program had reduced injury rates by an average 14% per month.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings support the implementation of peer intervention programs as a means to reduce workplace injuries.
Spicer
Rebecca S
RS
Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, Calverton, Maryland 20705, USA.
Miller
Ted R
TR
D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D007750:Labor Unions; D010379:Peer Group; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000628:therapy*; D017132:Workplace / Q000523:psychology*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology