Barriers to occupational health and safety management in small Brazilian enterprises

Guilherme Besse Garnica,Gladys Dorotea Cacsire Barriga

doi:10.1590/0103-6513.20170046

Guilherme Besse Garnica, Gladys Dorotea Cacsire Barriga

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/0103-6513.20170046

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Journal: Produção	Publication Date: Feb 15, 2018
Citations: 15	License type: cc-by

Affiliation: Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp)

Abstract

Abstract Paper aims To determine main barriers to the implementation of occupational health and safety management systems OHSMS in the context of small Brazilian enterprises from the perspectives of owners/managers, labor auditors, and OHS consultants. Originality: Survey with three different perspectives on small Brazilian enterprises. Research method: Survey conducted with stakeholders who influence the safety culture in small enterprises to identify the main barriers to the implementation of OHSMS. Main findings: Owners/managers tend to blame employees and the government for difficulty in implementing OHSMS, and external actors tend to blame management and resource allocation. Opinions converge on inappropriate management behavior, ineffective information and communication and production prioritization. Implications for theory and practice: These barriers should be overcome not only to facilitate the implementation of OHSMS but also to improve the conditions for the management of all small business operations.

Highlights

In Brazil, approximately 720,000 occupational accidents occur each year, of which 2,800 are fatal (Brasil, 2015), and entail a cost of approximately 2% of GDP (Tacitano et al, 2014)
Studies on Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems (OHSMS) have proposed methods for increasing organizational efficiency together with the confrontation of this reality of many work acidentes to improve the operations of companies and their interaction with the society (Whysall et al, 2006)
The intersection of the results indicates that among the top 10 barriers with the highest mean, the four barriers were repeatedly observed: (B1) Systematically wrong behavior of management; (B11) Absent or ineffective information; (B10) Absent or ineffective communication; and (B12) Prioritization of production over safety

Summary

Introduction

In Brazil, approximately 720,000 occupational accidents occur each year, of which 2,800 are fatal (Brasil, 2015), and entail a cost of approximately 2% of GDP (Tacitano et al, 2014). These acidentes lead to critical interruptions of the operations of companies and affect their operations management (Fan et al, 2014) by decreasing the productivity and quality of operations (Abad et al, 2013), damaging public image and internal climate (Fernández-Muñiz et al, 2009), and increasing the high social and economic charges on victims, employers, and State (Shalini, 2009). Small enterprises are essential for job creation and economic growth (Cunningham & Sinclair, 2015) because of their cliente centered and focus on local or regional needs and play a vital role in communities (Lortie et al, 2016)

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Conclusion