Regulacao em rede do ambiente de trabalho

This article discusses the concept of network governance as a supplement to the conventional understanding of regulation in the field of working environment. Network governance is a theoretical concept that has its roots in political science, and points to the innovative capacities of networks that are lacking in more hierarchical forms of regulation. How networks can stimulate change in working environment regulation has been studied in two cases. The first case concerns the problem with musculoskeletal strains in the care sector - manual handling of people - this sector has serious problems with early retirement related to the strains. In Denmark a network concerning the strains has grown from below, and this network has generated a storyline that connects the problem with new solutions, in particular the creation of the ‘transfer instructor' - "we transfer people, we don't lift". The transfer instructor is both an instructor in how to transfer people and a ‘change agent' that are involved in organizational changes. The instructors are supported by various types of arrangements: training, seminars, local acknowledgement and so forth. The second case deals with an effort to integrate health promotion within occupational health thinking; two fields (public health and Occupational Health & Safety (OHS)) that for years have been separate in a Danish context. The problem in this case was/is a profound social inequality in health; workplaces appear to be an appropriate arena for health promotion if the more individualistic approaches that dominate in health can be integrated with the more collectivist perceptions we see in OHS. This network was initiated from above, and has so far not managed to stabilize a network that is able to successfully promote the integrate approach of workplace health promotion.  Both cases point to the importance of bridging gaps between various professional groups if the efforts are to be truly innovative and successful. And they point at the importance of the state as a meta-governor in processes that aim at invigorating regulation; the concept of network governance can be taken to celebrate the absence of the state; our cases do not