La salute tra conoscenza e partecipazione. Il percorso del modello sindacale per il controllo dell'ambiente di lavoro

This paper reconstructs the joints political and cultural factors that contribute to the emergence and development of the trade union model for health in the workplace. It describes the relationship between work and health in Italy from the early twentieth century until the end of the 1970s. The first theoretical elaborations gained in Turin in the 1960s realize an innovative scientific methodology able to analyze, evaluate and suggest changes to improve the health of workers. The use of this tools allows the interaction between expert and non-expert languages, the spread of epidemiological research and the consolidation of an ecological culture among the population. This combination of factors makes an important contribution to the establishment of the National Health Service, a result that puts Italy at the forefront of public health.