UNION ASSIMILATION OF THE ERGONOMIC APPROACH AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF SOCIAL-RELATIONS

A large-scale project to introduce a participatory ergonomics approach into one hundred health care establishments in France was conducted b y a hospital sector union. The project took the form of ergonomics tra ining provided to union delegates to committees responsible for health , safely and working conditions. Data on the project's progress and re sults show that when unions had assimilated an ergonomic approach, the view, that hospital actors (employees, union members, management) had of one another was modified, as were their relations concerning worki ng condition issues. The conditions for the success, extension and dur ability of this approach are discussed.