WINWORK: CO-CREATING HEALTHYWORK ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH PARTICIPATORY OCCUPATIONAL INTERVENTIONS
Synopsis
Healthy work environments are increasingly recognised as essential for workers’ well-being, organizational performance, and long-term sustainability. However, many occupational health interventions remain fragmented and top-down, often neglecting workers lived experiences and the integration of physical, psychological and social dimensions of work. Objectives: This chapter aims to describe the co-creation methodology underpinning the WinWORK project and to present initial results
from participatory workshops conducted with workers and organizational leaders. Methodology: WinWORK adopted a participatory, multidisciplinary intervention approach implemented in a cross-border region between Portugal and Spain. Co-creation workshops were conducted with workers and leaders from multiple organizations, structured in three sequential sessions focused on identifying strengths and weaknesses, assessing risk factors, and co-designing and prioritising solutions. Three main pillars served as the foundation for the intervention: physical activity, mental health, and ergonomics. Results: Positive organizational factors, including teamwork, effective communication, and institutional support were identified by the participants. Thus, they also identified challenges such as manual load handling, extended static postures, excessive noise, stress, resistance to change, and inadequate workstation design. Co-created solutions prioritised task rotation, ergonomic equipment, postural support devices, workplace exercise routines, and strategies for psychological support and physical activity promotion. Conclusions: The WinWORK project demonstrates that co-creation workshops are a valuable tool to align scientific knowledge with workplace realities, fostering stakeholder engagement and developing feasible and sustainable occupational safety and health interventions that contribute to healthier and more resilient work environments.
