Some lessons learned from using participatory methods in asbestos worker training

Our plain-English summary of Some lessons learned from using participatory methods in asbestos worker training, by J. Cromley (American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 1992).

The study

• Author: J. Cromley
• Journal: American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• Published: 1992;22(5):781-4
• Cited by: 2 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

A nonprofit worker training center changed its teaching methods in response to teacher feelings of burnout, student expressions of boredom, and the requests of new staff members. The paper presents one problem-solving case study that was developed. The author discusses some obstacles to using the case study, and her experiences in overcoming those obstacles.

In plain English

This article was a descriptive account of asbestos worker training methods, not a research study. It described a 24-hour asbestos worker training program developed by the Alice Hamilton Occupational Health Center, which changed its teaching methods in response to teacher burnout, student boredom and requests from new staff. The article presented one problem-solving exercise: a case study written for members of the United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers, and Allied Workers. In it, groups planned the removal of roofing felt containing 20% chrysotile asbestos by answering 10 structured questions and drawing a diagram of the work area. The author wrote that students who did such exercises seemed better able to answer test questions, but the article reported no data on this. The author described obstacles to participatory teaching, such as the extra time and preparation it requires, with suggestions for overcoming them. The author concluded that these recommendations may better enable teachers to try participatory and empowerment methods. The article reported no health outcomes and no measured asbestos exposures.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: descriptive report of a training curriculum and one classroom exercise (not a research study; no data collected)
• Who was studied: students in a 24-hour asbestos worker training program at the Alice Hamilton Occupational Health Center; the featured case study was developed for members of the United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers, and Allied Workers. No numbers, dates or locations of trainees are given.
• Exposure: No exposure was studied. The training case study describes a removal job for asbestos-containing roofing felt that is 20% chrysotile asbestos.
• Main results:
  • The center changed its teaching methods because of teacher burnout, student boredom and requests from new staff.
  • The roofing case study described an asbestos roofing removal project followed by 10 structured questions on setting up the job. Students answered by drawing on a diagram of the work area.
  • The author observed, without presenting data, that students who did problem-solving exercises seemed better able to answer test questions.
  • The author described obstacles to participatory teaching, including the time the exercises take and the extra preparation they require from teachers.
• The authors' conclusion: The author concluded that the recommendations may better enable teachers to use participatory and empowerment methods.

Related studies

• Developments in industrial and occupational toxicology: REACH, toxicogenomics, mycotoxins, lead, asbestos, boron, bitumen, deletions polymorphisms and SNP interactions: meeting report of the 16th EUROTOX training and discussion session — G.H. Degen, J.G. Hengstler (2008)
• The extent and influence of Asbestos Safety Awareness training among managers who had previously commissioned an asbestos survey in their workplace buildings — J. Hickey, J. Saunders, et al. (2015)
• Biopersistent fiber-induced inflammation and carcinogenesis: lessons learned from asbestos toward safety of fibrous nanomaterials — H. Nagai, S. Toyokuni (2010)
• Chemoprevention of cancer: lessons to be learned from beta-carotene trials — H. Vainio (2000)
• Cancer Prevention: Lessons Learned and Future Directions — B.K. Dunn, B.S. Kramer (2016)
• Asbestos: Socio-legal and Scientific Controversies and Unsound Science in the Context of the Worldwide Asbestos Tragedy - Lessons to be Learned — X. Baur (2016)

Browse more research in American Journal of Industrial Medicine, or return to medical research.