Barriers to OSH research and how to overcome them

Conducting OSH research can be daunting, as there are many barriers, comprising: •Challenges to secure adequate research funding in competitive grant calls, as OSH research is often viewed as having limited commercial potential, a poor return on investment, and having limited impact.  •Difficulty in acquiring access to study populations. In some workplaces, ignorance is bliss. The discovery of OSH issues that in the short term have costly, or difficult to implement solutions, is not welcome.  •In terms of responding to the issues uncovered - there is also a potential for conflict between management, unions, policymakers and enforcement agencies; depending on the research findings. •Obtaining permission to publish the research may be complicated, especially if the findings are negative or have the possibility to cause undue alarm or showcase shortcomings and errors in the study workplaces.  •Appearance of OSH publications in relatively lower impact journals, which may have a negative influence on academic recognition and rewards for the researchers.    Some suggestions to overcome these barriers include: •Having separate and dedicated sources of research funding for OSH e.g. funding from workmen’s insurance boards, or national OSH councils/institutions.  •Prioritizing research topics should be based on societal needs, with inputs from various stakeholders to determine key areas of need.   •Endorsement of research priority areas by national committees may encourage buy-in from workplaces. This will hopefully ensure better research access to workplaces, and reduce barriers to seeking permission for publication. •Reporting the results objectively, sensitively, and not sensationally, and interpreting the results in context, with practical and realistic recommendations by researchers. •Adequately recognizing and rewarding good OSH researchers to attract talent and numbers to the limited existing pool.