Proceedings of the 12th European Conference on Knowledge ...

Monique Lortie and Lise Desmarais
specialist practitioners dominated. The latter cited mainly medical journal sources as opposed to OHS
journals. The issues raised by <strong>the</strong> occupational specialists evidenced that <strong>the</strong> knowledge conveyed
did not provide clear answers to <strong>the</strong> issues at hand. Knowledge produced was based on <strong>the</strong>
identification <strong>of</strong> a single factor or simple combination <strong>of</strong> factors. Conversely, exposure related to a
complex mix <strong>of</strong> factors and situations. Accordingly, knowledge generated in <strong>the</strong>se cases did not
appear to be well adapted.
The third experience relates to a tool developed to assess risks faced by individuals working in <strong>the</strong>
garbage sorting industry. The guide was written in <strong>the</strong> first person to foster enhanced appropriation. It
was developed by a partnership involving sectoral pr<strong>of</strong>essionals and researchers. Choices were
reported as partly intuitive, based on <strong>the</strong>ir relational experiences with workers in <strong>the</strong> sector. The guide
was not prescriptive. Ra<strong>the</strong>r it provided information deemed helpful for remedying action objectives.
One <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> goals was, in fact, to foster internal dialogue and enhance life in <strong>the</strong> workplace.
Table 1: Examples <strong>of</strong> projects conducted involving users (Desmarais and Lortie, 2011)
1. Users as end-users
1.1 Assessment <strong>of</strong> impact <strong>of</strong> conveyor belt safety guide: An overview <strong>of</strong> use
by sectoral players
1.2 Interventions at Occupational Lesion Board: Use <strong>of</strong> knowledge in relation
to musculoskeletal issues raised by interveners
1.3 Self-assessment chart <strong>of</strong> workplace health and safety risks at sorting
centres for recyclable waste
2. Users as generators <strong>of</strong> knowledge
2.1 Formulation <strong>of</strong> discourse for pr<strong>of</strong>essional jockeys incorporating notions <strong>of</strong>
health and safety in <strong>the</strong> workplace
2.2 Sharing <strong>of</strong> knowledge and organization <strong>of</strong> dialogue: Incorporation <strong>of</strong>
knowledge and points <strong>of</strong> view in an approach relating to situations giving rise
to musculoskeletal problems
2.3 Lexicological analysis <strong>of</strong> a description <strong>of</strong> events and onset <strong>of</strong> symptoms
<strong>of</strong> occupational lesions
3. Users as transfer agents
3.1 Learning history as a learning tool: Case involving training program
transfer between two research teams in two geographical areas relatively far
removed from one ano<strong>the</strong>r (Québec vs Newfoundland and Labrador )
3.2 Training to prevent back injuries in <strong>the</strong> workplace: Issues relating to <strong>the</strong>
transfer <strong>of</strong> research results and knowledge
3.3 Skills transfer in a unionized work environment: Supporting unions in this
regard
4.2 Users as generators <strong>of</strong> knowledge
Trépanier, J.,
Desmarais, L.,
Giraud, L. and
Bélanger, J.
Tcaciuc, R., Lortie, M.
and Patry, L.
Lavoie, J., Moquin,
S., Lajoie, A.,
Lambert, N., Trudel,
M., et al.
Brunet, R.
Lortie, M., Hastey, P.
and Mo, K.
Gravel, S.
Desmarais, L;.Parent,
R., Vézina, N. and
leclerrc, L.
Faye, C., Ber<strong>the</strong>lette,
D. and Leduc, D.
de Bruycker, J.
Exchanges are viewed as a way <strong>of</strong> evidencing knowledge and related reasoning. Dialogue was
regarded by prominent Greek philosophers as “a means <strong>of</strong> investigation allowing one to reach what is
closer to <strong>the</strong> truth” (cited by El Murr 2010, p. 21). Socrates, one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> major contributors to <strong>the</strong>
development <strong>of</strong> inductive reasoning, was <strong>the</strong> first attempt to define a set <strong>of</strong> rules. Aristotle, on <strong>the</strong>
o<strong>the</strong>r hand, attempted to define <strong>the</strong> rhetorical and argumentation process. Basically, dialogue is a
process <strong>of</strong> exchanges which may be used to help explicit knowledge by organizing it (Martel, 2000;
Auchlin et al., 2004). Dialogue can be short, be derived from a questionnaire or be elaborated through
interviews. Each is not only a way <strong>of</strong> accessing <strong>the</strong> knowledge worker but also returning knowledge to
<strong>the</strong> worker.
In <strong>the</strong> first instance, jockey speech was targeted and analysed from an ethnographic and ethnological
point <strong>of</strong> view. Jockeys are highly reluctant to adopt OHS preventive rules as <strong>the</strong>y tend to interfere with
performance objectives. Their speech was analysed to accurately identify <strong>the</strong> area <strong>of</strong> resistance and
to be able to articulate a preventive stance which would be acceptable to jockeys. Speech was used
here as a means <strong>of</strong> intervention. A video was produced featuring pr<strong>of</strong>essional jockeys and intended
for training masters. As we can see, this approach is completely different from approaches developed
in <strong>the</strong> health sector and based on an extensive literature review.
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