Abstract

This project is an extension of a major participatory ergonomics project on back disorders affecting SAQ (Québec Liquor Commission) materials handlers conducted in 1989-1990 by an IRSST-funded research team. Its objective was to establish the extent to which the previous project enabled workers and management to better pursue prevention activities and understand organisational and psychosocial factors affecting these activities. A secondary objective was to evaluate the effectiveness and economic impact of the approach to prevention activities that the previous intervention prompted. A clear reduction of occupational injuries, especially back disorders, was observed, and the various interventions proved financially profitable. In many cases, however, both workers and management remained critical. The report contains much information specialists will find useful in ensuring optimal conditions for the performance of participatory ergonomic interventions.

Data collected from the work groups created during the ergonomics intervention was used to determine the groups' lifespan, the evolution of their composition, the extent to which they were truly participatory, and their activities. Data from other sources provided information on the recent evolution of relations between management and employees, work organisation, occupational hazards, and prevention.