ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author analyzes scenarios where the early warning signs of an emerging epidemic are extant and where baseline Occupational health and safety (OHS) empirical studies in industry are warranted. Detailed guidance is also provided on how to go about conducting such "grounded" empirical OHS research when the first "sentinel" cases of an emerging epidemic are identified. There are a range of reasons for conducting research studies, and a series of publications are available on scientific research design, hypothesis generation and testing, formatting of questionnaires, sample selection, and statistical analysis of data. Because there are constraints in every research process, many researchers will adopt "triangulation" of data during the analysis phase and bring together data from a range of different sources or from disparate perspectives. The author concludes with a detailed description on the scientific methodology adopted in one recent large-scale empirical research study in the Australian health care industry.
