Prevention of work related eye injuries: long term assessment of the effectiveness of a multicomponent intervention among metal workers.
BACKGROUND
Systematic assessments of the effectiveness of interventions to prevent work related eye injuries are needed.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the long term effectiveness of a multicomponent prevention campaign.


METHODS
The campaign (conducted in collaboration with the local Employers' Association and Trade Unions) targeted all 237 metal-ware factories in the district of Imola, Italy. Based on preliminary inspections, the main intervention included distribution to all factories of specific educational brochures and broadcasting/publication of television/radio programmes and local newspaper articles containing expert advice on the subject. This was followed by a four year "post-intervention reinforcement" period of unannounced official inspections. Main outcome measures analysed were eye injury rates (versus non-eye injury rates) among metal workers during "pre-intervention" (1988-90), "peri-intervention" (1991-92), "post-intervention reinforcement" (1993-96), "late post-intervention" (1997-2000), and "very late post-intervention" (2001-03) periods with respect to two comparison sectors (construction and wood/ceramics).


RESULTS
A Poisson regression in which the eye injury rates were modelled for each sector, period, and interaction, adjusting for non-eye injury rates, was chosen. The periods did not by themselves determine an overall reduction in eye injuries. The period/sector interaction terms were related to significant reductions for the metal sector when crossed with the "post-intervention reinforcement" (IRR = 0.77, 95% CI 0.61 to 0.97; % decline = 23.4), the "late post-intervention" (IRR = 0.63, 95% CI 0.50 to 0.79; % decline = 37.4), and the "very late post-intervention" (IRR = 0.58, 95% CI 0.43 to 0.77; % decline = 42.4) periods, suggesting a sustained reduction in eye injury risk following the main intervention.


CONCLUSIONS
Results suggest that a carefully coordinated, extensive, multicomponent intervention can lead to lasting reductions in the burden of eye injuries.
Mancini
G
G
Occupational Health Service, Azienda USL di Ravenna, Ravenna, Italy.
Baldasseroni
A
A
Laffi
G
G
Curti
S
S
Mattioli
S
S
Violante
F S
FS
D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005131:Eye Injuries / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005135:Eye Protective Devices; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008669:Metallurgy; D010174:Pamphlets; D016012:Poisson Distribution; D011314:Preventive Health Services / Q000379:methods*; D012044:Regression Analysis