The Community of Practice: A Method for Cooperative Learning of Occupational Health and Safety Inspectors
Open Access
- 12 October 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by MDPI AG in European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education
- Vol. 11 (4), 1254-1268
- https://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe11040091
Abstract
Background: Workplace injuries in Italy still occur despite laws and safety norms. We need to understand the causes rooted in the context and social conditions, and need to improve the practice of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) inspectors of the Workplace Safety and Prevention Services (WSPS) of the Italian regional health boards. The aims of this study were to describe the setting up of a Community of Practice (CoP) for the production of best practices for injury prevention and to evaluate the motivation of OSH inspectors for participating in the CoP and the effects of CoP participation on their professional practice. Methods: Two workplace injury stories underwent peer review during each CoP meeting. We evaluated the CoP using a focus group and a questionnaire. Result: Between 2014 and 2021, the CoP met in 18 workshops. Over the 8-year period, the CoP grew from 20 to 150 participants. Overall, 30 stories underwent peer review and were published on the institutional website. The focus group participants stated that the reasons why they participated in the CoP were the need to share experience and to tackle new challenges. Conclusion: The CoP was found to be useful for improving professional practice by strengthening professional identity and contributing to the production of new knowledge.Keywords
This publication has 19 references indexed in Scilit:
- Occupational safety and health enforcement tools for preventing occupational diseases and injuriesEmergencias, 2013
- Evaluation of a nationally funded state-based programme to reduce fatal occupational injuriesOccupational and Environmental Medicine, 2012
- A systematic review of the effectiveness of occupational health and safety trainingScandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health, 2011
- How and why are communities of practice established in the healthcare sector? A systematic review of the literatureBMC Health Services Research, 2011
- The marriage of evidence and narrative: scientific nurturance within clinical practiceJournal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 2010
- Evolution of Wenger's concept of community of practiceImplementation Science, 2009
- Community of Practice or Practices of a Community?Published by SAGE Publications ,2009
- A systematic use of information from accidents as a basis of prevention activitiesSafety Science, 2008
- Methods for using narrative text from injury reports to identify factors contributing to construction injuryAmerican Journal of Industrial Medicine, 2005
- The Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation program's role in the prevention of occupational fatalitiesInjury Prevention, 2001