Firefighters as distributors of workplace safety and health information to small businesses

• Using firefighters to disseminate OSH information to small businesses was tested.
• Postcards for NIOSH’s Small Business Resource Guide were distributed or mailed.
• Neither set of postcards resulted in substantial visits to the Resource Guide.
• Firefighters were willing to distribute the information and saw value in education.
• Future research should identify barriers to small businesses seeking OSH information.

BackgroundSmall businesses bear a large burden of injury and death, and are difficult to reach with occupational safety and health (OSH) information. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) developed a pilot study testing the feasibility of fire departments disseminating OSH information to small businesses during fire inspections.MethodsTwo sets of postcards were developed with unique, trackable URLs for the NIOSH Small Business Resource Guide. One set was distributed by firefighters, the other was mailed to small businesses. Participating inspectors were met with to discuss their experience.ResultsNeither distribution method resulted in a substantial number of site visits. Inspectors believed distributing postcards was an easy addition to their duties, and saw value in safety information.ConclusionsThere are barriers beyond awareness of availability that prevent small business owners from seeking OSH information. Research should focus on identifying barriers and developing better OSH information diffusion mechanisms.