On the Line

Worker Democracy and the Struggle Over Occupational Health and Safety

Datos Bibliográficos

ID4689973
AutoresKara Granzow (University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada), Nancy Théberge (University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada)
Año2009
Volumen19
Número1
Páginas82-93
Fecha de publicación2009-01-01
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaQualitative Health Research (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1049-7323 • E-ISSN: 1552-7557
EditorialSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/1049732308327349
PMID18997154
OpenAlexW2154375028
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas3
Referencias citadas13

In this article we present a qualitative analysis of worker involvement in a participatory project to improve occupational health and safety at a Canadian manufacturing site. Based on interviews with workers in the plant, we consider the manner and degree to which workers experienced meaningful participation in the intervention process and some of the main barriers to worker participation. Findings emphasize the importance of the social and political context in conditioning the dynamics of joint management labor ventures specifically in relation to health initiatives. Interviews revealed few instances in which workers felt included in the participatory initiative; most often they felt marginalized. In the absence of structural change in the plant, workers described the health initiative as seriously limited in its ability to render meaningful worker participation. These results extend beyond this analysis of a participatory workplace health initiative, offering insights into the dynamics of institutional participatory process, and into participatory research practice generally

Citizen journalism · Occupational safety and health · Participatory action research · Participatory management · Political science · Public relations · Qualitative research · Social science · Sociology · Management and Organizational Studies · Occupational Health and Safety Research · Psychology · Social Psychology