Club Zero, Better Intervention Studies and a Proposal for an Australian Institute of Occupational and Environmental Health

By W. Pearse

The Club Zero model could be used to assist small to medium sized enterprises implement OHS management solutions

. More intervention research to evaluate the effectiveness of OHS solutions is needed, and Pearse argues for a substantially increased level of funding to OHS research. Increased commitment should centre on establishing a new Australian institute of occupational and environmental health in the Commonwealth health portfolio.

Club Zero was a two-year intervention study into the effectiveness of management systems and networking as was of preventing occupational injury and disease in a group of metal manufacturing companies in south western Sydney. Design improvements that could be made in similar studies are discussed. A more robust research program and institutional framework are essential for identifying new hazards and the health impacts of the broader changes in working life. Occupational health and safety research needs to be more actively fostered at the national level.

(Journal of Occupational Health and Safety Australia and New Zealand. vol. 20, no. 1, February 2004)