Ideological Influences on Participatory Research in Occupational Health and Safety: A Review of the Literature

Abstract

Research and policy initiatives often cite the need for greater worker participation in reducing workplace hazards. However, the meaning and methods of participation are less clearly understood. To clarify the nature of worker participation in occupational health and safety (OHS), the various traditions are deconstructed in this review of the published literature. Three traditions influencing OHS emerged from larger social forces in the late 1950s and 1960s: the Scandinavian work environment movement, the Italian Workers' Model, and the Japanese model of participative management. The review is used to create a “genealogy” of worker participation in OHS, clarifying the effect of underlying political ideologies on management control, worker empowerment, and the levels and limits of participation in practice.