Safety and health at work as fundamental rights: A comparative-historical study of the ILO's strategy of realistic vigilance

This article is a comparative-historical study of ILO action on occupational safety and health (OSH) as fundamental rights. In the two decades following the adoption of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the ILO used a realist lens and prioritized the idea that OSH were dependent upon economic preconditions for their protection. This history is revisited in the light of the new complex of global health uncertainty and the addition of OSH to the framework of fundamental principles and rights at work. The analysis highlights the applicability of a realistic vigilance approach to the ILO's current work on OSH.     

Using participatory and creative methods to facilitate emancipatory research with people facing multiple disadvantage: a role for health and care professionals

Participatory and creative research methods are a powerful tool for enabling active engagement in the research process of marginalised people. It can be particularly hard for people living with multiple disadvantage, such as disabled people from ethnic minority backgrounds, to access research projects that are relevant to their lived experience. This article argues that creative and participatory methods facilitate the co-researchers’ engagement in the research process, which thus becomes more empowering. Exploring the congruence of these methods with their professional ethos, health and care professionals can use their skills to develop them further. Both theory and practice examples are presented.     

The use of diaries for understanding the experience of health and illness

While diaries as a method have a long tradition in sociological research, few studies to date have demonstrated its value for studying health and illness. This article intends to illustrate the importance of this method for health research. The implications of the use of solicited diaries to conduct research within the field of health and illness are discussed. The contributions that the method can make to sociological research on health and illness are explored, namely the potential to capture the everyday of ill people and their family members. Indeed, this method offers an opportunity to access the experience of illness in a multidimensional approach which is not easy for researchers to catch using other methods. The article aims to present an overview of the significance of the use of diaries in health research and will make a novel contribution to the sociology of health and illness.