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Handbook of Qualitative Health Research for Evidence-Based Practice pp 225–241Cite as

Qualitative Evidence in Occupational Health

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Part of the book series: Handbooks in Health, Work, and Disability ((SHHDW,volume 4))

Abstract

Qualitative research in the field of occupational health and safety regularly reveals contested terrain where the interests of workers’ compensation insurers, employers, health care providers and workers can diverge, each informed by different social, political, and economic systems. In this chapter, qualitative occupational health evidence is organized in two broad sections: studies of injury risks and prevention and studies of return-to-work process and challenges once an injury has occurred. Throughout, we include evidence derived from studies with diverse analytic foci that range from macro state health and safety regulations to workplace level return-to-work processes to worker understandings of occupational health risk. Theoretical contributions that consider occupational health via the lens of gender and immigration are highlighted. The discussion considers social, economic, and political contexts of qualitative occupational health evidence and provides suggestions for promising areas of future research and intervention. These include research that considers state regulation mechanisms, occupational health in nonstandard work environments, the aging workforce, and research that critically examines normative assumptions and values in occupational health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Public Health and Health Systems, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, Canada, N2L 3Gl

    Ellen MacEachen Ph.D.

  2. Institute for Work and Health, 481 University Avenue, Suite 800, Toronto, ON, Canada, M5G 2E9

    Agnieszka Kosny Ph.D.

Authors
  1. Ellen MacEachen Ph.D.
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  2. Agnieszka Kosny Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Ellen MacEachen Ph.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

    Karin Olson

  2. Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology, and Special Education, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

    Richard A. Young

  3. Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology, and Special Education, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

    Izabela Z. Schultz

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MacEachen, E., Kosny, A. (2016). Qualitative Evidence in Occupational Health. In: Olson, K., Young, R., Schultz, I. (eds) Handbook of Qualitative Health Research for Evidence-Based Practice. Handbooks in Health, Work, and Disability, vol 4. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2920-7_14

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