Many people interact with dogs during their jobs. Dog bites have been studied primarily through epidemiological approaches which are not designed for understanding human behavioural approaches to bite risk. The objective of this study was therefore to explore perceptions and experiences of risk posed by dogs at work through qualitative methods.
We used participant-observations, ethnographic interviews (i.e. opportunistic interviews carried out during observations), semi-structured in-depth interviews and focus-group discussions. The participants included: delivery company employees, veterinary professionals and employees of dog shelters. Fifteen in-depth interviews and 12 ethnographic interviews were carried out alongside 14 days of participant-observations. Transcribed interviews and notes from observations were coded inductively line-by-line to identify common themes. Key themes that emerged were: 1) procedural safety, 2) experienced safety, 3) teaching safety and 4) making sense of being bitten.
Procedural safety captured organisational guidelines that define rules for working around dogs. The purpose of procedural safety guidelines and their resultant practices was principally to make dogs visible, through surveillance of dogs and people, and to provide barriers that can be used to prevent human-dog contact. Risk and safety are constructed as a measurable and demonstrable outcome, perceived to translate into a set of standardised behaviours employed to stay safe. In day-to-day work however, people who work with dogs described safety as a tacit and context-specific way of controlling one’s body, emotions and practices around dogs. This experienced safety also relied on developing relationships with colleagues, dogs and customers and individual safety was seen as dependent on behaviours of others. Bites were experienced as an impetus for improving prevention practices and a way of sharpening up awareness of risk. These perceptions helped to cope with a bite and to make sense of being bitten. As safety and risk were experienced largely as a feeling, instinct and a sense of embodiment developed through practice, it was discussed as something that cannot be easily taught.
We suggest that in developing risk management protocols and teaching dog-safety at work, organisations should not rely on simple protocols and incorporate sufficient time for development and practice of safe behaviour under guidance of experienced front-line personnel.