Improving occupational health and safety policy through intervention research

Abstract

Intervention research in occupational health and safety (OHS) addresses the development, implementation, and evaluation of OHS interventions.(1) The emphasis in intervention research is applied rather than basic or etiologic. Etiologic OSH research is about identifying risk factors for occupational injury and disease, such as in epidemiology studies about the relationship between job stress and heart disease. It has tended to be under-emphasized historically in relation to more basic science-oriented etiologic research. The goal of intervention research in OHS is to translate basic research knowledge into public health action and benefits. As such, intervention research in OHS is often cross-disciplinary, drawing from a range of disciplines such as program evaluation, education, and social psychology in addition to OHS and other branches of public health. The US National Institutes for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH) presented a National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) to improve OHS in 1996.(2, 3) NORA was based on input from over 500 stakeholder groups across the country and identified 21 priority research areas, one of which was Intervention Effectiveness Research.(4) For each priority research area, NIOSH assembled a Team of experts in the area, drawing from labour, industry, academia, and government. The Intervention Effectiveness Research Team developed a conceptual model of intervention research in OHS(1) in order to: • Provide an integrating framework for diverse activities; • Articulate relationships among various types of intervention research; • Facilitate assessment of the current state of the field in order to guide strategic planning (e.g., specific requests for intervention research proposals); and • Develop common language to facilitate communication. This model posits that the intervention research process is cyclical and progressive and involves three broad research phases of intervention development, implementation, and evaluation (Figure 1 at end of paper).(1) Further, it includes a set of five tasks that are important in any intervention research study: (1) gathering background information and conducting needs assessment on the problem and the range of possible intervention strategies, (2) developing partnerships with relevant stakeholder groups, (3) choosing appropriate research methods and study designs, (4) conducting the research, and (5) reporting on and disseminating findings. Finally, intervention research can be conducted at levels ranging from simple worksite programs to national or international policy. Show more