Kogi Kazutaka
Institute for Science of Labour, 2-8-14 Sugao, Miyamae-ku, Kawasaki 216-8501, Japan.
Ind Health. 2006 Jan;44(1):31-4. doi: 10.2486/indhealth.44.31.
Participatory programmes for occupational risk reduction are gaining importance particularly in small workplaces in both industrially developing and developed countries. To discuss the types of effective support, participatory steps commonly seen in our "work improvement-Asia" network are reviewed. The review covered training programmes for small enterprises, farmers, home workers and trade union members. Participatory steps commonly focusing on low-cost good practices locally achieved have led to concrete improvements in multiple technical areas including materials handling, workstation ergonomics, physical environment and work organization. These steps take advantage of positive features of small workplaces in two distinct ways. First, local key persons are ready to accept local good practices conveyed through personal, informal approaches. Second, workers and farmers are capable of understanding technical problems affecting routine work and taking flexible actions leading to solving them. This process is facilitated by the use of locally adjusted training tools such as local good examples, action checklists and group work methods. It is suggested that participatory occupational health programmes can work in small workplaces when they utilize low-cost good practices in a flexible manner. Networking of these positive experiences is essential.
减少职业风险的参与式项目正变得越来越重要，尤其在工业发展中国家和发达国家的小型工作场所。为了探讨有效支持的类型，我们回顾了在“工作改善 - 亚洲”网络中常见的参与式步骤。此次回顾涵盖了针对小企业、农民、家庭工人和工会成员的培训项目。通常侧重于当地低成本良好实践的参与式步骤，已在包括物料搬运、工作站人体工程学、物理环境和工作组织在内的多个技术领域带来了切实改善。这些步骤以两种不同方式利用了小型工作场所的积极特性。其一，当地关键人物愿意接受通过个人、非正式方式传达的当地良好实践。其二，工人和农民能够理解影响日常工作的技术问题，并采取灵活行动解决这些问题。使用如当地良好范例、行动清单和小组工作方法等经过本地调整的培训工具，可促进这一过程。建议参与式职业健康项目在以灵活方式利用低成本良好实践时，能够在小型工作场所发挥作用。对这些积极经验进行网络化至关重要。
