Editorial
Revista Brasileira de Saúde Ocupacional comes to its thirtieth issue.
It has played its role disseminating scientific knowledge in the field of occupational safety and health (OSH), mainly by accepting new "models" - on the relation between health and work, accidents at work and their causes, and about occupational illness and its causation- which are closer to reality and more effective to conduct preventive measures.
It has become not only a forum of debates for scientists and professionals of the occupational health area, but also a reference for all those involved with OSH.
We could start by mentioning the difficulties and limitations we have been confronted to during all those years, but we'd rather put forward some of the principles that will steer the magazine's expected long lived future. Three essential aspects of the current editorial policy will be cited.
First, it is necessary to go on disseminating new dimensions and interpretations on concepts and phenomena, which will explain them and lead to really effective preventive actions. Clear positions* * The position adopted by the British Medical Journal editors concerning the word "accident" is an example. In 2001 this important journal in the medical area decided to ban it from their issues as, in accordance to Davis and Pless (their editors), "An accident is often understood to be unpredictable ... and therefore unavoidable. However, most injuries and their precipitating events are predictable and preventable." (p. 1320) DAVIS, R.M.; PLESS B. Editorials. BMJ bans accidents. Accidents are not unpredictable. BMJ, vol. 322, 1320-1321. 2001. So, what can we say about the expression "occupational accidents"? must be adopted even at editorial level. For instance, what attitude should the journal's have towards the concept of occupational accident and their causes? This will only happen if it absorbs other subjects like social and political sciences and brings the debate of current matters to its core.
These two positions lead us to the second aspect. In its next numbers the journal will organize "special issues" in two topics: the first on health and work on the tele-marketing sector, and the second on different concepts of occupational accidents. Well known researchers will be invited as its scientific editors.
Our third aspect is related to the continuity of our journal's improvement process. The permanent reflection on our editorial policy and our persistence in adopting the peer-review process are the roots of such a search for quality.
Finally we would like to thank everyone who helped us either by sending articles, or by commenting them, by organizing and coordinating editorial activities and by somehow preserving our magazine's quality and influence. Among all of them, we want to honor the memory and active participation of our co-worker Jose Carlos Crozera who, unfortunately, has been taken from us.
José Marçal Jackson Filho
Dorival Barreiros
Publication Dates
-
Publication in this collection
06 Dec 2012 -
Date of issue
June 2005
