Title: Dialogues on safety: A comparative qualitative duoethnography of nurses as OSH practitioners and consultants
Abstract:
Nurses play a pivotal role in workplace safety, yet their transition into Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) roles remains underexplored. This study investigates the experiences of nurses functioning as OSH practitioners and consultants, focusing on career trajectories, professional development, challenges, fears, realizations, and advocacy for nursing engagement in OSH. Anchored on Role Theory (Biddle, 1986), which examines how individuals perform and negotiate professional responsibilities within organizational expectations, and Symbolic Interactionism (Blumer, 1969), which highlights how meaning is constructed through interaction and dialogue, the study explored how nurses interpret “safety” and their professional identity in OSH roles. A comparative qualitative research design with a duoethnographic approach and phenomenological lens was employed, with two participants—a registered nurse serving as an OSH practitioner in the cement industry and an OSH consultant in the manufacturing sector—purposively selected based on professional licensure, accreditation, and at least five years of OSH experience. Data were collected through unstructured interviews, field notes, and observations to capture participants’ narratives in depth, and analysis involved Braun and Clarke’s thematic coding integrated with duoethnographic principles emphasizing reflexivity, dialogue, and co-construction of meaning, with trustworthiness ensured through member checking, reflexive journaling, and peer debriefing. Six themes emerged: career trajectories, role expansion and professional autonomy, challenges encountered, fears and concerns, human-centered engagement and organizational alignment, and advocacy for nursing engagement in OSH. Practitioners pursued self-directed experiential learning, while consultants followed structured, multi-industry pathways requiring accreditation and specialization; practitioners faced technical skill gaps and gender-related challenges, whereas consultants navigated administrative, technical, and visibility-related demands. Both roles emphasized professional fulfillment, human-centered engagement, and behavioral safety, demonstrating how nursing expertise enhances OSH effectiveness. The transition from being a nurse to becoming an OSH practitioner or consultant reflects a shift from operational specialization to strategic, cross-industry consultancy with increased autonomy, recognition, and impact. Guided by Role Theory and Symbolic Interactionism, the findings illuminate how structural role expectations and interactive meaning-making shape nurses’ motivation, professional identity, and fulfillment in OSH roles, underscoring the value of integrating clinical and behavioral expertise into workplace safety and advocating for the continued professional development of nurses in OSH practice and consultancy.
