Abstract
This chapter draws on an empirical study to describe the importance of context in the prevention of accidents and illness in the work-place. The empirical data are based on individual and group interviews with employers and employees of small and medium-sized enterprises as well as with occupational health and safety experts. The analysis shows that cultural aspects and internal communication processes have a major impact on how prevention is understood and implemented. The results can be condensed into the proposition that prevention may come into conflict with the practices that generate belonging in the work-place. Questions that arise from this include “Which communication processes and emotional meanings are realized with belonging?” and “How do these meanings interact with rules concerning prevention?” Further, it is suggested to describe the concept of belonging in terms of “stereotypes”, “degree of empathy”, “coherence”, and “continuity”. These considerations result in suggestions on how inhibiting and facilitating factors for illness prevention might be examined in future comprehensive studies of work-place interventions.
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Notes
- 1.
SMEs are of central economic importance in Germany. 99.3% of all German enterprises having been SMEs in 2012. Of the 26.4 million persons employed in the economic sectors covered, more than 60% worked in SMEs in 2012 (Federal Statistical Office 2015).
- 2.
The statement was made during a group interview conducted in a public training facility with six trainees from different enterprises of 20–160 employees.
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Acknowledgements
This research was part of the project “Healthy at Work” at the Innovation Incubator Luneburg/Leuphana University of Lüneburg, Germany. Research and development within the Innovation Incubator was funded by the European Union and the state of Lower Saxony. Thanks to Silke Volkhardt and Jürgen Klose for their work in conducting the study and to Andreas Hemming for translating the article into English. I would also like to thank all interviewees for participating in the study.
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Wiencke, M. (2016). Effects of Practices of Belonging on Accident and Illness Prevention in Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises. In: Wiencke, M., Cacace, M., Fischer, S. (eds) Healthy at Work . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32331-2_3
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