Participatory approaches to workplace safety management: bridging the gap between behavioral safety and participatory ergonomics

Abstract

Many researchers and practitioners argue the importance of end-user involvement in workplace safety management, but the research literature and practices remain fractured across orientations. The primary aim of this article is to bridge the gap between two major participatory safety management approaches: behavioral safety and participatory ergonomics. First, an overview and brief history of participative management is presented to provide context for its application to workplace safety. Next, behavioral safety and participatory ergonomics are separately examined in terms of their origins and core elements. Finally, based on this examination, unifying elements between behavioral safety and participatory ergonomics will be presented to provide a comprehensive account of participatory safety management.

Keywords:

• behavioral safety
• participatory ergonomics
• safety management
• end-user involvement
• safety participation
• participative safety approach

Subject classification codes::

• psychology
• ergonomics
• occupational safety and health

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.