Worker participation in OHS change in the construction workplace

The hazardous nature of construction work is well documented. During the past decade of intensive research on the industry and its hazards, many efficacious safety and health interventions have been identified, but few have been widely adopted. This research used a participatory approach to intervention effectiveness research to understand the barriers to change in the industry. Construction workers and researchers collaborated to investigate aspects of the social and political context of the construction work environment that both impede and facilitate the adoption of OHS interventions on construction worksites. Three case studies are presented. In two studies, joint labor management committees worked through an eight-week cycle of identifying, implementing and evaluating an OHS intervention on work time and on a specific worksite. In the third study, a group of construction tradeswomen met with researchers over a period of two years to analyze current health and safety conditions on construction sites and develop policy recommendations for change. The methods and results of each separate study are presented in addition to cross case findings. Over forty specific factors influencing the adoption of interventions on construction sites were identified. Using a social ecological model, these factors were ordered into a tool for future data collection on intervention effectiveness on construction sites. A review of the literature on participatory research in OHS identified three distinct ideological trends that have influenced the design and outcomes of participatory research efforts in the workplace.