Module 1

Research
 The systematic, rigorous (thorough) investigation of a
situation or problem in order to generate new
knowledge or validate existing knowledge.
Qualities of Good Researcher
Who is a Good Researcher?
 A calm, kind hearted, obedient and respectful person
with good maturity in the first instance.
 Disciplined, diplomatic, hardworking, good
mannered, sincere, devoted and determined.
 Listens to others then thinks then pauses and then
critically comments.
 Tries to put into practice at least to some extent what
he/she says.
 A good communicator and well concentrated.
Qualities of Good Researcher
 Likes to learn new things even from kids, takes
adventures and appreciates the progress and results of
others.
 Patient, bold, gentle, unafraid, confidant, majestic and
keeps his/her head cool under pressure.
 Believes that knowledge is acquired through training
and wisdom is learnt through experience.
Importance of Research
 Research : A way of thinking
 Thinking in a research mode as a practitioner you
have the ability to ask yourself
 What am I doing?
 How is it affecting my clients or consumers?
 How can I improve my work?
 Research will
 Encourage you to critically examine every aspect of your day to day
situation
 Understand and develop guidance principles ( e.g. OSHA
principles, test the new ways to contribute the advancement of your
practice and profession)
 Research methodology provides you the technique to find the
answer of research questions
Importance of Research
 Research : An integral part of your professional practice
 Research and practice are two sides of same coin
 Greater the integration between research and Practice in profession
greater the advancement in its theoretical and practice knowledge base
 What do worker thinks about the importance of H&S
 What do I need to do to become a better H& S officer
 Why are some workers have good attitude towards safety than the other
 What is the effect of good work place to achieve the targets
 How can I motivate the workers to wear PPEs
 How can I convince the client/ contractor that spending money on H&S is not
the factor to decrease the Profit
 How can we increase the sale of our product by complying H&S standards
 How we can improve the compliance of H&S in our Industrial Unit.(audits).
 How can we win the proposal by adopting the H&S policies
 (e.g. compliance on CPEC)
Importance of Research
 Research : An integral part of your
professional practice:
 This is your obligation as a service provider
to answer the following question of
consumer
How effective is the service that I am
receiving
Am I getting value for money
How well trained are the service provider
Importance of Research
 Research : A way to gather evidence for your
practice
 Evidence based practice has gained a recognition as a
requirement of your professional practice

 Evidence based practices ( EBF) for example in medicine

industry it has become service delivery norm, a requirement,
an indicator of practice accountability
 Research is one of the way of collecting accurate, sound and
reliable information about the effectiveness of your
intervention thereby providing you evidence of its
effectiveness ( patient values, expertise available, evidences)
Application of research
 Application of research can be viewed in four
perspectives:
 Service provider
 The service administrator, manager, and/ or planner
 The service consumer and
 Professionals
 Research has many application .you need to have
research skill to be an effective service provider,
administrator/ manager or planner. As a professional
you have the responsibility to enhance professional
knowledge, research skills are essential. ( Example 1122)
Types of Research
 Applied research
 Basic research
 Correlation research
 Descriptive research
 Historical research
Types of Research
 APPLIED RESEARCH
Applied research refers to scientific study and research that
seeks to solve practical problems. Applied research is used to
find solutions to everyday problems, cure illness, and develop
innovative technologies, rather than to acquire knowledge for
knowledge's sake.
For example, applied researchers may investigate ways to:
 Improve agricultural crop production
 Reduce air pollution in cement industry
 Water problems in Kahon valley
 Treat or cure a specific disease
 Improve the energy efficiency of homes, offices, or modes
 of transportation
Types of Research
 BASIC RESEARCH
Basic research is driven by a scientist's curiosity or interest
in a scientific question. The main motivation is to expand
man's knowledge, not to create or invent something. There
is no obvious commercial value to the discoveries that
result from basic research.
For example, basic science investigations probe for answers
to questions such as:
• How did the universe begin?
• What are protons, neutrons, and electrons composed of?
• What is the specific genetic code of the fruit fly
Types of Research

 CORRELATIONAL RESEARCH
Correlational research refers to the
systematic investigation or statistical study
of relationships among two or more
variables, without necessarily determining
cause and effect.
For example, to test the hypothesis “
Listening to music lowers blood pressure
levels”
Types of Research

There are 2 ways of conducting research

• Experimental – group samples and make
one group listen to music and then
compare the Blood Pressure levels or
Exposing to excessive noise and testing
hearing loss
• Survey – ask people how they feel ? How
often they listen? and then compare
Types of Research
 DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH (serving or seeking to describe)
 Descriptive research is used to describe characteristics of a
population or phenomenon being studied. It does not answer
questions about how/when/why the characteristics occurred
 For example, the periodic table categorizes the elements.
Scientists use knowledge about the nature of electrons,
protons and neutrons to devise this categorical scheme. We
now take for granted the periodic table, yet it took descriptive
research to devise it. Descriptive research generally precedes
explanatory research. For example, over time the periodic
table’s description of the elements allowed scientists to
explain chemical reaction and make sound prediction when
elements were combined. Hence, descriptive research cannot
describe what caused a situation.
Types of Research
For example,
• Finding the most frequent disease that
affects the children of a town. The reader
of the research will know what to do to
prevent that disease thus, more people will
live a healthy life
For example, in a supermarket, a
researcher can from afar monitor and track
the selection and purchasing trends of the
customers.
Types of Research
HISTORICAL RESEARCH
Systematic collection and evaluation of data to
describe, explain, and thereby understand actions or
events that occurred sometime in the past.
For Example:
How the education system has been changed since
1990?
What were the major discipline problems in schools in
1940 as compared to today?
Quality of Data
The seven characteristics that define data quality are:
 Accuracy and Precision ( No error, No misleading)
 Reliability and Consistency (reliable source, different
Weather stations)
 Timeliness and Relevance ( in time, relevance)
 Completeness and Comprehensiveness ( no gaps,
 Availability and Accessibility ( available when
required)
 Uniqueness ( distinctive, no duplication)
 Integrity ( Linked)
Integrity
 Are all data linked correctly
Range of Problems
OSH research needs to address a wide range of problems :
 Mechanical hazards (e.g. moving machine parts, falls, slips,
trips, etc.)
 Electrical hazards
 Hazardous substances
 Biological substances (e.g. infectious microorganisms)
Range of Problems
 Fire and explosion risks
 Thermal hazard factors (e.g. heat and cold)
 Specific physical hazards (e.g. noise, vibration, radiation.)
 Working environment factors (e.g. lighting, air
conditioning, emergency exits, man-machine interface,
etc.)
 Physical strain (e.g. workload, lifting, awkward postures,
etc.)
 Psychosocial hazards (e.g. work design & organization,
social conditions.)