The contribution of qualitative analyses of occupational health and safety interventions: An example through a study of external advisory interventions

• Published in: Safety science 2006-12, Vol.44 (10), p.851-874
• Main Authors: Baril-Gingras, Geneviève, Bellemare, Marie, Brun, Jean-Pierre
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Intervention; Legislation. Organization; Medical sciences; Methodology; Occupational health and safety; Occupational medicine; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Qualitative study
• ISSN: 0925-7535; 1879-1042
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ssci.2006.05.003

With this study, we endeavoured to develop a model to explain both the processes leading to preventive-based changes during occupational health and safety interventions performed by external advisors, and the effect of the workplace context on these interventions and on the implementation of change proposals. The study concerns seven interventions carried out by advisors from four joint occupational health and safety sector-based associations. This longitudinal study entailed observing external advisor/workplace actors interactions and various interviews with the advisor and workplace actors. Each proposal for change was followed to see if it would be accepted, modified, and implemented or not. The research strategy and results presented herein illustrate the potential explanatory value of a qualitative, longitudinal study. For this purpose, we extracted six methodological principles from the eight criteria (further broken down into 17 questions) set forth in an article by Shannon et al. [Shannon, H.S., Robson, L.S., Guastello, S.J., 1999. Methodological criteria for evaluating safety intervention research. Safety Science 31, 161–179]. This article was chosen for its explicit, succinct presentation of a series of methodological criteria, some of which have been cited by other authors. The principles we selected are those that qualitative research could particularly be useful in attaining, among all the criteria defined by Shannon et al. (1999). The study results illustrate how a qualitative intra- and inter-case study could contribute to fulfillment of each selected principle, and towards a better understanding of the conditions for preventive intervention effectiveness.