INTERVENTION RESEARCH IN OCCUPATIONAL-HEALTH AND SAFETY

This paper reviews occupational health and safety intervention studies published between 1988 and 1993 to gauge the nature and extent of res earch in this area. Generally, the studies often lacked a theoretical basis, used small samples, and tested interventions lacking the intens ity to cause the desired change. Most designs were either nonexperimen tal or quasi-experimental with uncontrolled sources of bias. Recommend ations for future research include methods of minimizing the problems and biases caused by these weaknesses. Nonmethodological issues such a s the costs of implementing interventions and the cultural and politic al dimensions of the workplace are also addressed. Although many metho dological issues associated with field-based research are not easily a ddressed, researchers should make a stronger attempt to address these issues if the field of occupational health and safety intervention res earch is to be productive.