UNDERSTANDING DIFFERENCES IN ATTITUDES, BELIEFS AND PERCEPTIONS OF WORKERS AND MANAGERS TOWARDS WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY IN ONTARIO MANUFACTURING
Why this study?
The purpose of this study is to better understand managers’ and workers' attitudes, beliefs and perceptions towards workplace health and safety in the Ontario manufacturing sector. We will hold focus groups (which will be audio recorded) to gather data for this study. In a previous study (external link) , we found that there were differences in attitudes, beliefs and perceptions between the two groups. Now we’d like to know the reasons as to why such differences exist.
Why focus groups?
Focus groups consists of a small number of people who are asked to share their feelings or perceptions with the research team on a certain topic – in this case, workplace health and safety. The use of focus groups has been used previously to examine health and safety issues in different workplaces including healthcare, firefighting, chemical manufacturing, and nail salons. Each focus group will be scheduled for up to 90 minutes and there will be focus groups only of workers and separate focus groups only of managers. All focus groups will be virtual.
Project Objectives
Through this project, we will:
- Determine differences in attitudes, beliefs and perceptions between the two groups related to general health and safety in the workplace, health and safety training as well as health and safety communication.
- Bring forward ideas to try to close the gap between workers and managers to improve health and safety performance in the manufacturing sector.
What are the risks and benefits?
- There are no known risks as we will not reveal your name or what you said.
- There are no known individual benefits; however, every participant will be given a $15 e-gift card in recognition of their time.
- You may request a copy of the final report from the two lead organizations.
This study has been reviewed and approved by the Toronto Metropolitan University Research Ethics Board (REB 2023-072). If you are interested in participating, please complete this (google form) Google Form (external link) which asks for your usual availability (in terms of day of the week and times each day). We are recruiting volunteers starting May 2023 and plan to have the first focus group discussions held in early June 2023.
For more information:
Dr. Chun-Yip Hon
Associate Professor, School of Occupational and Public Health
Tel: 416-979-5000 x553022
Email: cyhon@torontomu.ca