PhotoVoice: A participatory action research method for empowering workers to identify and address workplace hazards - a study of university custodians

PhotoVoice is a photographic participatory action research methodology that has been used primarily for community-based research to engage those with little or no power to identify and describe their concerns and to promote policy change to address those concerns. This project is among the first to adapt PhotoVoice to the workplace to involve workers in identifying health and safety hazards through photographic methods. This project was conducted at a large Midwestern public university as part of an evaluation by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) of a joint labor-management OSH management system that had been in place for two years in the Facilities Management Division. Though many improvements appeared to occur, custodian injuries remained among the highest in the country. The PhotoVoice project, conducted through AFSCME's worker-based evaluation team and UMass Lowell, engaged custodians on all shifts to take pictures of workplace hazards over 2-3 days. Custodians then returned to review the photos, describe the hazards, and prioritize them. Results were presented to over 90% of the 400 custodians with further discussion, as well as to the joint safety committee. Recommendations for policy change were reviewed and discussed. This method goes beyond hazard mapping to identify, empower and mobilize workers to create change in the workplace. Hazards identified were largely ergonomic, but also included chemical and medical waste exposures, faulty equipment, and poor communication mechanisms. Custodians gained a greater interest in health and safety, and a realization that these conditions were campus-wide.