Recruitment for Occupational Research: Using Injured Workers as the Point of Entry into Workplaces

OBJECTIVE To investigate the feasibility, costs and sample representativeness of a recruitment method that used workers with back injuries as the point of entry into diverse working environments. METHODS Workers' compensation claims were used to randomly sample workers from five heavy industries and to recruit their employers for ergonomic assessments of the injured worker and up to 2 co-workers. RESULTS The final study sample included 54 workers from the workers' compensation registry and 72 co-workers. This sample of 126 workers was based on an initial random sample of 822 workers with a compensation claim, or a ratio of 1 recruited worker to approximately 7 sampled workers. The average recruitment cost was CND$262/injured worker and CND$240/participating worksite including co-workers. The sample was representative of the heavy industry workforce, and was successful in recruiting the self-employed (8.2%), workers from small employers (<20 workers, 38.7%), and workers from diverse working environments (49 worksites, 29 worksite types, and 51 occupations). CONCLUSIONS The recruitment rate was low but the cost per participant reasonable and the sample representative of workers in small worksites. Small worksites represent a significant portion of the workforce but are typically underrepresented in occupational research despite having distinct working conditions, exposures and health risks worthy of investigation.