Occupational Health and Participatory Research
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Abstract
The word health brings to mind the image of doctors, nurses and also the complex world of medicine, anatomy, diagnostic machines and so on. 'Occupational' Health (OH) also encompasses disciplines such as engineering aspects, chemistry, ergonomics and other areas requiring technical expertise. Participatory Research (PR) on the other hand, is a tool most commonly used in social science research. It is generally associated with investigation into more qualitative than quantitative aspects of human reality. The applicability of PR to a seemingly technical field such as OH therefore, is not immediately obvious and requires in the first instance, some reflection on the focus of research in OH.
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This text explores how Participatory Research (PR) can be applied in Occupational Health (OH), a field traditionally dominated by technical experts. It critiques the expert-worker power imbalance and emphasizes the need for inclusive, dialogue-based research methods. PR empowers workers to articulate their realities and contributes to meaningful changes in workplace safety. The text underlines equality, learning, and trust as central to effective participatory research in technical fields
Keywords
Occupational Health (OH), Participatory Research (PR), Qualitative and Quantitative Data, Technical Field Inclusion, Empowerment of Workers