(in German)

We discuss in our paper how a study of the effects of interventions in occupational health and safety and workplace health promotion might be structured. From a general perspective, the idea of an 'intervention' is a planned change in a system from the outside with the intent to adjust that system in a specific, previously defined way. In studies of interventions, the conceptual framework is often not sufficiently explicit, both in terms of the design of the intervention as well as its implementation process. Thus the question of how and under what conditions these factors interact is left for the most part unanswered. To answer this question adequately, it is important to consider the individual operational dynamics above and beyond the intended effects of the explicit intervention being implemented and studied. This puts the focus on the operational context in which an expected result is to be realized, that is, on the context that either advances or hinders an intervention. A good deal of research in terms of the internal perspective of such businesses and the interaction between inside and outside, between individual operational dynamics and the overarching occupational safety and health systems remains to be done. This is why the second part of the paper will focus on conceptual approaches to operational dynamics. It will be described how the theoretical framework may be useful for developing answers to the question of the interaction of the described functional factors.

This article was published in "Zeitschrift für Arbeitswissenschaft" 69, 2015, 3, pp. 146-151 (Springer-Verlag).

Please download the complete article "Occupational health and safety in the service economy: How to study the effects of interventions theory-based" (in German only).