People involved in health and safety at work are being invited to take part in a UK-wide study into the sources of information they use, either in their workplaces or when giving guidance to others.

Advice and guidance on how to protect workers, such as workplace design and manual handling, are many and varied in relation to type, format and cost, according to the Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM).

In an effort to examine how occupational safety and health information is identified and communicated from source to employees within organisations, the IOM’s survey is aimed at those who have a role in safety and health information in their workplace, including professional practitioners and non-professionals tasked with safety and health in their workplace.

Commissioned and funded by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, the research has already raised questions about the accessibility of information and knowledge sources for different aspects of occupational health and safety.

Stage 1 of the project identified that, although there were a large number of resources available, there is little known about the extent of their usage. This includes the reasons for the choice of different sources due to credibility and level of trust.