Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) deals with the prevention of work-related injuries and diseases while promoting the overall health, safety, and well-being of workers. Making workplaces safer and healthier stands as a pressing and contemporary issue, needing effective interventions to address the global dire situation of occupational accidents and diseases. Three main phases characterize interventions – design, implementation, and evaluation – and none should be acted on without accurate planning. However, in practice, workplace safety and health interventions often do not fully align with the insights learnt from literature. A formalistic approach to workplace health and safety, which tends to equate regulatory compliance as the most satisfactory method of implementing interventions, is common and constitutes the primary impediment to the effective realization of such interventions. Transforming this mindset is crucial, fostering a prevention culture among workers and increasing their awareness and engagement can make a significant difference. The analysis of the literature has highlighted the importance of a conscious network of stakeholders, characterized by high coordination, knowledge awareness, and information sharing that would enhance the development – design, implementation, and evaluation – of interventions and cooperate for their continuous improvement. Consequently, this research revolves around OSH interventions and seeks to enhance their effectiveness across various – national, territorial, and company – levels, exploring the untapped potential of the network surrounding intervention development as a key lever for their effectiveness and long-term sustainability – i.e., the ability of interventions to persist over time within established settings. This research starts with the investigation of the OSH network, exploring its management practices across different countries and understanding how it can be leveraged for more effective interventions. Following this, the concept of the ecosystem is introduced as it brings value to the discussion of intervention effectiveness, shifting the focus from viewing the network solely as a combination of stakeholders directly or indirectly involved in intervention development to a broader, interconnected ecosystem. Incorporating a theoretical perspective, such as the ecosystem perspective, though not essential, brings value to the discourse, delving into the underlying mechanisms influencing their outcomes and facilitating more effective future management strategies. This ecosystem knowledge is investigated through a combination of theoretical and empirical analyses, exploring how an ecosystem perspective can contribute to the effectiveness of OSH interventions and how the adoption of an ecosystem perspective can support OSH interventions. The ecosystem perspective can provide scholars and practitioners with a new approach to designing, implementing, and evaluating more effective, long-lasting, interventions. In this regard, a range of tools and guidelines are eventually proposed to help interpret the diverse factors influencing the development and sustainability of interventions over time. This knowledge is substantiated through the design and initial implementation of a real national-based intervention, founded on ecosystem principles, setting the stage for its effectiveness and sustainability.
Il sistema di salute e sicurezza sul lavoro (SSL) si occupa della prevenzione degli infortuni e delle malattie professionali, promuovendo, a livello più ampio, la salute, la sicurezza e il benessere dei lavoratori sul luogo di lavoro. Rendere i luoghi di lavoro più sicuri e più salubri è una questione urgente e attuale, che richiede interventi idonei a fronteggiare la preoccupante situazione di incidenti e malattie professionali che si registra a livello globale. In generale, negli interventi di distinguono tre fasi principali – la progettazione, l’attuazione e la valutazione –, nessuna delle quali dovrebbe essere trascurata e attuata senza una pianificazione accurata. Nel mondo reale, tuttavia, capita spesso che gli interventi di SSL non siano al passo con gli insegnamenti della letteratura. Un approccio formalistico alla SSL, che tende a individuare nel mero rispetto della normativa la modalità più soddisfacente di attuazione degli interventi di SSL, continua ad essere ampiamente diffusa e costituisce il principale ostacolo a una realizzazione efficace di tali interventi. Trasformare questa mentalità è fondamentale, poiché la promozione di una cultura della prevenzione tra i lavoratori può determinare una significativa differenza. Infatti, l'analisi della letteratura ha evidenziato l'importanza di creare una rete (“network”) dei soggetti coinvolti consapevole di essere tale e caratterizzata da elevato coordinamento, contezza del proprio sapere e condivisione delle informazioni, in grado di migliorare lo sviluppo degli interventi e di cooperare per il loro continuo miglioramento. Pertanto, la presente ricerca si concentra sugli interventi di SSL e cerca di migliorarne l’efficacia, esplorando il potenziale non sfruttato della rete che circonda lo sviluppo degli interventi a diversi livelli come strumento essenziale della loro efficacia e sostenibilità, intesa come la capacità degli interventi di persistere nel tempo all'interno di contesti consolidati. La presente ricerca indaga, nel dettaglio, la rete della SSL, esplorando le sue modalità di gestione in diversi Paesi e come questa rete possa essere sfruttata per realizzare interventi più efficaci. Al contempo, viene introdotto il concetto di ecosistema, che valorizza l’aspetto dell’efficienza dell'intervento, perché consente di guardare alla rete non solo come una combinazione di soggetti direttamente o indirettamente coinvolti nello sviluppo dell'intervento ma alla stregua di un ecosistema più ampio e interconnesso. L'inclusione di una prospettiva teorica, come quella dell'ecosistema, sebbene non essenziale, apporta valore al discorso, approfondendo i meccanismi sottostanti che influenzano i loro risultati e facilitando strategie di gestione future più efficaci. Questa parte del lavoro studia l'ecosistema attraverso una combinazione di analisi teoriche e pratiche, verificando se l'adozione di una prospettiva incentrata sull’ecosistema possa comportare una maggiore efficienza degli interventi di SSL e se questa conoscenza possa essere applicata nella progettazione e attuazione di interventi concreti. La prospettiva incentrata sull’ecosistema è in grado di fornire agli studiosi e agli esperti sul campo un nuovo approccio per progettare, attuare e valutare interventi più efficienti e duraturi. A tale proposito, vengono forniti una serie di strumenti e linee guida per aiutare a interpretare i diversi fattori che influenzano lo sviluppo e la sostenibilità degli interventi nel tempo. Queste conoscenze vengono infine messe in atto attraverso la progettazione e una prima attuazione di un intervento concreto a livello nazionale, fondato sui principi dell'ecosistema, che pone le basi per la sua efficienza e sostenibilità.
About the effectiveness of Occupational Safety and Health interventions
VITRANO, GAIA
2023/2024
Abstract
Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) deals with the prevention of work-related injuries and diseases while promoting the overall health, safety, and well-being of workers. Making workplaces safer and healthier stands as a pressing and contemporary issue, needing effective interventions to address the global dire situation of occupational accidents and diseases. Three main phases characterize interventions – design, implementation, and evaluation – and none should be acted on without accurate planning. However, in practice, workplace safety and health interventions often do not fully align with the insights learnt from literature. A formalistic approach to workplace health and safety, which tends to equate regulatory compliance as the most satisfactory method of implementing interventions, is common and constitutes the primary impediment to the effective realization of such interventions. Transforming this mindset is crucial, fostering a prevention culture among workers and increasing their awareness and engagement can make a significant difference. The analysis of the literature has highlighted the importance of a conscious network of stakeholders, characterized by high coordination, knowledge awareness, and information sharing that would enhance the development – design, implementation, and evaluation – of interventions and cooperate for their continuous improvement. Consequently, this research revolves around OSH interventions and seeks to enhance their effectiveness across various – national, territorial, and company – levels, exploring the untapped potential of the network surrounding intervention development as a key lever for their effectiveness and long-term sustainability – i.e., the ability of interventions to persist over time within established settings. This research starts with the investigation of the OSH network, exploring its management practices across different countries and understanding how it can be leveraged for more effective interventions. Following this, the concept of the ecosystem is introduced as it brings value to the discussion of intervention effectiveness, shifting the focus from viewing the network solely as a combination of stakeholders directly or indirectly involved in intervention development to a broader, interconnected ecosystem. Incorporating a theoretical perspective, such as the ecosystem perspective, though not essential, brings value to the discourse, delving into the underlying mechanisms influencing their outcomes and facilitating more effective future management strategies. This ecosystem knowledge is investigated through a combination of theoretical and empirical analyses, exploring how an ecosystem perspective can contribute to the effectiveness of OSH interventions and how the adoption of an ecosystem perspective can support OSH interventions. The ecosystem perspective can provide scholars and practitioners with a new approach to designing, implementing, and evaluating more effective, long-lasting, interventions. In this regard, a range of tools and guidelines are eventually proposed to help interpret the diverse factors influencing the development and sustainability of interventions over time. This knowledge is substantiated through the design and initial implementation of a real national-based intervention, founded on ecosystem principles, setting the stage for its effectiveness and sustainability.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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Descrizione: Tesi di Dottorato Gaia Vitrano
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https://hdl.handle.net/10589/221333