Kudos to Ashley Schoenfisch and her entire team for the submission of their Multi PI – NIH R01 application with Virginia Tech entitled “Preventing Injuries among Drywallers: Multi-disciplinary Evaluation of Current Recommendations and Practices." This proposal requests funding for a three-year period with a project start date of April 1, 2018.

Abstract: Drywall installers have high rates of nonfatal work-related injury. Approaches to address drywall installers' overexertion injury burden include the use of assistive devices and engineering designs to reduce physical demands. Several US reports describe advantages and concerns related to the use of drywall carrying tools, co-worker assistance, work-rest schedules, storage positions, and hanging approaches.  Yet, important research gaps remain.  The long term goal of this project is to help decrease the incidence of overexertion injuries and falls among drywall installers.  To help reach this goal and address current research needs, this collaborative, mixed-methods project will provide a rigorous, current, and comprehensive understanding of drywall installers' work demands and their use of assistive devices, NIOSH-recommended work practices, and new materials ¿ specifically, lighter-weight drywall.  Interviews and surveys will provide insight into work demands and the use of injury prevention approaches and lighter-weight drywall in practice, from the perspectives of drywall installers, firm owners/managers, and other stakeholders.  Through a lab-based experiment, the project will contrast work demands in alternative drywall installation approaches using subjective, objective, and performance-based dependent measures, to comprehensively address whether and how there is mitigation of risk factors for injury.

• Aim 1    Estimate the prevalence of and understand the factors influencing the use of assistive devices, NIOSH-recommended work practices, and lighter-weight drywall to prevent overexertion and fall-related injuries associated with handling drywall material.  Approach: Mixed-methods approach including surveys and key informant interviews.
• Aim 2    Assess drywall installers' exposures to risk factors for overexertion injuries and falls during drywall hanging, including physical demands, worker fatigue, and postural instability.  Evaluate the influence of lighter weight drywall, co-worker assistance, and panel lifter use on these measures.  Approach: Subjective and objective measurement in a controlled lab setting.

To foster the pragmatic application of research findings into practice, a set of academic, industry, and trade collaborations will guide development, dissemination, and evaluation of outputs tailored to diverse audiences, including apprentices, journeymen, contractors, instructors, architects, drywall manufacturers, safety personnel, and policy makers.  Results will be disseminated through traditional academic means (e.g., participation in professional conferences, publication in the peer-reviewed literature, project report) and also to targeted trade groups such as through: 1) Trade journals (e.g., "Construction"), websites (e.g., "Walls and Ceilings"), shows (e.g., INTEX Construction Expo), and social media outlets (e.g., Twitter); 2) NIOSH trade experts; 3) USDOL/OSHA Directorate of Construction; and 4) The Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR).