This report documents the range and impact of Puataunofo Come Home Safely initiatives as identified by key informants selected by Puataunofo Come Home Safely representatives.
The positive impacts of Puataunofo Come Home Safely initiatives have exceeded the group’s original goals of (1) raising awareness of health and safety issues for Pacific workers and their employers to reduce workplace injuries, (2) informing the Pacific workforce on health and safety practices and standards, and (3) developing a holistic approach to marketing and communications [Department of Labour 2008].
The immense scope of the Puataunofo Come Home Safely activities embraces the World Health Organization’s Spectrum of Prevention, a framework for this report.
Throughout this report, ‘Puataunofo Come Home Safely’ may be referred to as ‘Puataunofo’.
Methodology
This project gathered information through a qualitative study, employing primary and secondary sources. A literature review was followed by face-to-face interviews with members of the Puataunofo Come Home Safely group and recipients of Puataunofo activities.
Literature included Department of Labour (DoL) and Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU) reports and minutes of Puataunofo meetings.
In close collaboration with key members of the Puataunofo group, the methodology was developed and interview questions were prepared to gauge the impact of the Puataunofo messages, especially within Puataunofo’s target audience. Hans Key, Health and Safety Inspector, DoL and member of Puataunofo, was instrumental in identifying informants on the impacts of Puataunofo activities and in securing their cooperation with this project.
Given the broad scope of impact, face-to-face interviews were seen to be a more effective method of gathering information than a survey. Puataunofo activities target Pacific people and are therefore generally conducted in person, with little or no writing, and with a great amount of story-telling. It was appropriate that the evaluation of their impacts observed these conventions.