[Storytelling in prevention: the case-study of accidents at work. How the narrative method can enhance the prevention of occupational injuries.] / Narrare per prevenire: il caso degli infortuni sul lavoro.Come il metodo narrativo può valorizzare la prevenzione degli infortuni lavorativi.

OBJECTIVE: This article aims to analyze the elements of the narrative which, applied to investigations of accidents at work, transform them into stories, making the dynamics of accidents clearer, more complete and emotionally engaging and also capable of being transferred to a non-experts audience. METHOD: The theoretical reference identified for the analysis of the accident histories is the work of the Lithuanian semiologist Algirdas Julien Greimas. The title, the dimensions of space and time, the characters (according to the actantial model), the point of view, the structure of the story (following the canonical narrative scheme), and the moral of the tale are the elements of the narration analyzed in this article. RESULTS: This article illustrates how the dynamics of accidents can lend themselves to being told according to the typical categories of narration and textual organization, resulting in them being enriched with important elements for the communication of prevention and the learning of safe behaviour. The accident investigation that becomes history takes on important characteristics also in terms of communication: the contents become clearer, more accessible and more engaging. Unlike traditional surveys, injury stories, through the elements of the narrative and in particular with the addition of indications for prevention, become an efficient learning and sharing tool valid in training contexts, and the contents effectively usable in practice of prevention workers. CONCLUSIONS: The narration applied to accidents at work, allowing for greater attention to the elements of the context, relationships and the emotional sphere of the various actors involved, is able to bring out more clearly the important and various factors that can contribute to causing an accident, becoming thus an effective tool for the transfer of indications for prevention.

The Community of Practice: A Method for Cooperative Learning of Occupational Health and Safety Inspectors.

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.

The community of practice as a place of prevention: the value of collective knowledge in occupational safety. / La communità di pratica come luogo di prevenzione: il valore della conoscenza collettiva nella sicurezza sul lavoro.

BACKGROUND: Occupational Health and Safety (OSH) inspectors of the Health Units of Piedmont Region wrote 47 case histories based on data gathered from injury investigations as part of the project "From the injury investigation reports to case histories: creation of a collection of case histories on occupational injuries". Afterwards a Community of Practice (CoP) was initiated with the aim of sharing recommendations for prevention of occupational injuries. OBJECTIVE: The aims of the article are: 1) to describe the implementation process of the CoP; 2) to evaluate the benefits of CoP regarding the improvement of professional practice of OSH inspectors. METHODS: Two injury case histories were peer reviewed during each meeting of the CoP. A focus group was set up to evaluate benefits of CoP. Seven OSH inspectors participated in this focus group. RESULTS: Eight CoP meetings were organized and about 70 OSH inspectors participated. Fourteen stories were peer reviewed and eight were published on www.dors.it. Operators involved in the focus groups reported that the main reasons for participation in the CoP were the need to compare and tackle new challenges. The criticalities are tied to the turnover of the participants and to the lack of recognition by management. Most of the operators felt it was too early to include professionals such as Workers' Safety Representatives and Prevention and Safety Service Managers in the CoP due to their different professional roles. CONCLUSIONS: OSH inspectors reported professional benefits of CoP experience. We believe that this approach might be transferred, integrated and developed in other regions and included in the next national prevention plan.

Narratives of work injuries as a basis for improving preventive measures.

BACKGROUND: Many authors consider narrative descriptions of injuries gathered by OSH inspectors extremely important in identifying causes, setting priorities and drawing up intervention strategies. Narratives provide additional insight regarding complex behaviour, attitudes and interactions, which help to understand the decision patterns and the context of the injury. Storytelling is an effective way of sharing and remembering information. OBJECTIVE: The main aim was to describe the experience of collecting stories from injury investigation reports, backed up by systematic prevention guidelines, that will improve information sharing by means of a knowledge transfer method based on storytelling. METHODS: OSH operators from Health Units, who were invited to provide the injury stories, were enrolled through educational workshops aimed at selecting the injuries to relate following the sentinel event approach, using an effective style of writing, identifying the key elements of the story and using witnesses' narratives to study in depth the critical points identified during the investigation. RESULTS: 110 OSH operators voluntarily joined the project between 2012 and first half of 2015. 33 injury stories were collected, discussed and published on Dors' website http://www.dors.it/storiedinfortunio. CONCLUSIONS: The results show that prevention and protection measures do indeed benefit from a narrative-based approach, so that health and safety can be viewed in a more comprehensive way by facilitating knowledge improvement and sharing.