Collaborative Development for the Prevention of Occupational Accidents and Diseases Change Laboratory in Workers' Health

This book presents an innovative method to improve workers’ health and prevent occupational accidents: the Change Laboratory, a method of formative intervention that enables the organization's participants to identify, with the help of facilitators, the historical and systemic origins of work processes anomalies (environmental problems, work safety and health, quality and productivity problems, problems related to labor relations, etc). It proposes a cycle of expansive learning that evolves from recognition of the problem to the visualization, testing and consolidation of solutions.

The Change Laboratory method was first developed by Finnish researchers in the 90s and has been improved since then by an international network of research centers in ten countries. This volume presents the results of the experiences conducted by the Brazilian research group to apply the methodology to workers’ health programs. It adopts a translational approach and seeks to elaborate a method of intervention that goes beyond the mere diagnostics to present solutions to concrete problems based on systematized and participatory research.  

Collaborative Development for the Prevention of Occupational Accidents and Diseases - Change Laboratory in Worker's Health will be of interest to both researchers and professionals engaged in developing intervention programs to improve safety and health at work, such as occupational health professionals and researchers, organizational psychologists, safety engineers and public agents working with workers’ health regulations. The book will also be of interest to occupational health students interested in learning how the Change Laboratory method can be applied to this field of research and activity.  

1. The current challenges at work and their demands for intervention

Rodolfo Andrade de Gouveia Vilela is full professor at the School of Public Health of the University of São Paulo, Brazil. Graduated in Mechanic Engineer at the University of São Paulo, he holds an MA a PhD in Collective Health from the University of Campinas, Brazil. His main research interests are workers’ health police, work related accident prevention, ergonomics and Change Laboratory.

Marco Antonio Pereira Querol holds a BSc in Agricultural Engineering from the University of São Paulo, Brazil, an MA in Management of Agroecological Knowledge and Social Change from the Wageningen University, the Netherlands, and a PhD from the Institute of Behavioral Sciences at the University of Helsinki, Finland. His main research interests are Sustainable Rural Development, Cultural-Historical Activity Theory, and interventions using the methodology of Change Laboratory, developed at the University of Helsinki.

Manoela Gomes Reis Lopes holds a PhD in Public Health from the University of São Paulo, Brazil, with a period of doctoral studies at the University of Helsinki, Finland under the supervision of Prof. Yrjö Engeström, the creator of the Change Laboratory method. She is currently developing a post-doctoral research project at the School of Public Health of the University of São Paulo with technical and scientific cooperation with the University of Helsinki, Finland. She has experience in the fields of public health, health surveillance, workers’ health, prevention of accidents and work injuries, ergonomics, research of developmental work and on methodology of Change Laboratory.

Sandra Lorena Beltran Hurtado is a PhD candidate at the School of Public Health of the University of São Paulo, Brazil. Graduated in Physical Therapy at the National University of Colombia, she holds an MA in Public Health from the University of São Paulo and has experience in occupational health, acting on the following subjects: work accidents, accident investigation methodology, activity ergonomics, safety culture, Change Laboratory and oil & gas industry.

Gislaine Cecília de Oliveira Cerveny is a former professor at the School of Health Sciences of the Methodist University of Piracicaba, Brazil. Graduated in physiotherapy at the Methodist University of Piracicaba, she holds a PhD in Odontology from University of Campinas, Brazil. She has experience in physiotherapy, with emphasis on collective health/preventive physiotherapy, acting currently in research with Ergonomics and Change Laboratory.