Interview Opening Statement

Attachment H

Interview Opening Statement

My name is _________________. I work with RTI International. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health [NIOSH], part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], contracted with my company to conduct interviews about implementing workplace safety curricula in various educational programs in middle and high school.

As a representative of your district, I would like to invite you to participate in an interview that will last about a half hour about including basic life skills for safe and healthy work in school curricula and academic or other programs. Life skills for safe and healthy work can help all students prepare for their future careers. NIOSH sent you a brochure about their Youth @ Work: Talking Safety curriculum, which highlights the ways that these skills can help teens.

The purpose of today’s interview is to get your opinions about including life skills for safe and healthy work in education programs, to understand your perceptions of the benefits of these skills as well as the barriers to adding these concepts to your programs. There are no foreseeable risks to you/your district from participating in this project. There is no direct benefit to you; however we hope that the project will improve safety and health for young people in your schools who work. There will be no costs to you, other than your time involved.

No other personal information will be asked during the interview. With your permission, I will audiotape the interview. We value the information you share with us and want to make sure we capture all of it as accurately as possible. If at any time you would like to tell me something in private, I will be happy to turn off the recorder. Do you have any questions?

This is not an evaluation of your district’s policies. RTI will keep any information you provide secure, sharing information only with NIOSH. No one else in your district or state will see any of your responses. We will store the tape recording and notes about it in a locked cabinet located in the offices of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in Cincinnati Ohio. I will not use your name or other identifying information in any reports of our discussion. Any names used during the interview will be removed from the transcript and erased from the tape. Do you have any questions?

Your participation in this research is voluntary. You are free to refuse to take part. You may refuse to answer any questions and may stop taking part in the interview at any time. You may also keep a written copy of this consent statement for your records if you like. Do you have any questions?

If you have any questions about this project, you may call Rebecca Guerin from NIOSH at 513-533-8435. If you have questions or concerns regarding your rights as a participant in this study, contact Mark Toraason, Human Subjects Review Board Chair at 513-533-8591. Do you have any questions?