AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE 53:780–791 (2010) The Pennsylvania Certified Safety Committee Program: An Evaluation of Participation and Effects on Work Injury Rates Hangsheng Liu, PhD, 1 Rachel M. Burns, MPH, 2{ Agnes G. Schaefer, PhD, 2{ Teague Ruder, MA, 3# Christopher Nelson, PhD, 5§ Amelia M. Haviland, PhD, 2{ Wayne B. Gray, PhD, 4k and John Mendeloff, PhD 2\ Background Since 1994, Pennsylvania, like several other states, has provided a 5% discount on workers’ compensation insurance premiums for firms with a certified joint labor management safety committee. This study explored the factors affecting program participation and evaluated the effect of this program on work injuries. Methods Using Pennsylvania unemployment insurance data (1996–2006), workers’ compensation data (1998–2005), and the safety committee audit data (1999–2007), we conducted propensity score matching and regression analysis on the program’s impact on injury rates. Results Larger firms, firms with higher injury rates, firms in high risk industries, and firms without labor unions were more likely to join the safety committee program and less likely to drop out of the program. The injury rates of participants did not decline more than the rates for non-participants; however, rates at participant firms with good compliance dropped more than the rates at participant firms with poor compliance. Conclusions Firm size and prior injury rates are key predictors of program participation. Firms that complied with the requirement to train their safety committee members did experience reductions in injuries, but non-compliance with that and other requirements was so widespread that no overall impact of the program could be detected. Am. J. Ind. Med. 53:780–791, 2010. ß 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. KEY WORDS: safety committee; voluntary program; work injury; evaluation; propensity score matching INTRODUCTION The idea that safety committees, especially joint labor- management safety committees, can promote workplace safety has influenced policy in many advanced industrial countries. In the United States, safety committees have not played as prominent a role in national policy, although a number of states have either mandated safety committees for some or all employers or offered financial incentives to firms that establish them [Conway and Svenson, 1998]. Pennsylvania is one of the states that adopted legislation that provides a financial incentive, a 5% discount on workers’ compensation (WC) insurance premiums, for firms that certify that they have a joint labor management safety committee. The State of Pennsylvania established its ß 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. 1 RANDCorporation,Boston,Massachusetts 2 RANDCorporation,Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania 3 RANDCorporation,Arlington,Virginia 4 DepartmentofEconomics,ClarkUniversity,Worcester,Massachusetts 5 RANDCorporation,SantaMonica,California { ResearchAssistant. { PoliticalScientist. # Programmer/Analyst. ‰ SeniorPoliticalScientist. { Statistician. k Professor. \ SeniorPolicyResearcher. Contractgrantsponsor:PennsylvaniaStateLegislature. *Correspondenceto:Dr.HangshengLiu,AssociatePolicyResearcher,RANDCorporation, 20ParkPlaza,Suite720,Boston,MA02116.E-mail:hliu@rand.org Accepted19April2010 DOI10.1002/ajim.20861.PublishedonlineinWileyInterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com)