Abstract
The aim of this research was to study the impact of the unitary prevention delegates (UPDs) on the Spanish working environment. To this end, a cross-sectional study was carried out using microdata from the National Survey on Health and Safety Management in Companies (ENGE-2009) with a sample of 5147 work centres. To measure the relationship between the presence of UPD in workplaces with preventive management indicators and damage to health, individual and multiple logistic regression models were carried out, calculating the crude (cOR) and adjusted (aOR) odds ratios by sociodemographic covariates, with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Ambivalent results were obtained. On the one hand, a positive impact of the UPDs was found, in the management of prevention showing a higher probability of prevention plans being carried out (aOR = 3.97; 95% CI: 3.26–4.83), risk assessments (aOR = 5.96; 95% CI: 4.44–8.01) and preventive actions were planned (aOR = 3.01; 95% CI: 2.55–3.56), as well as 1.56 times less likely to register minor occupational accidents (aOR = 0.64; 95% CI: 0.53–0.76). On the other hand, the presence of the UPDs did not promote the activation of a participatory culture and did not reduce the probability of suffering serious and fatal accidents at work. In conclusion, UPDs need to activate workers’ participation to improve results.
Highlights
With the approval of Law 31/1995 on the Prevention of Occupational Risks, in Spanish “Ley de Prevención de Riesgos Laborales” (LPRL) [1], and its subsequent development with the Regulations on Prevention Services (Royal Decree 39/1997) [2], the Spanish state ratified and transposed, five years late, the European Union Framework Directive 89/391-CEE [3], inaugurating a new stage in the prevention of risks in the workplace and the promotion of occupational health
With regard to emergency management, it was found that work centres with unitary prevention delegates were more likely to have emergency plans, as well as more likely to have defined emergency measures and to have carried out drills
Despite the fact that the unitary prevention delegates showed a positive impact on the reduction of light occupational accidents, they did not have the same effect on serious or fatal accidents and occupational diseases, as the results found do not identify statistically significant relationships (p-value = 0.785 for serious and fatal accidents; p-value = 0.163 for occupational diseases), the factors associated with precariousness of work being the predictors of the negative impact on more serious health damage
Summary
With the approval of Law 31/1995 on the Prevention of Occupational Risks, in Spanish “Ley de Prevención de Riesgos Laborales” (LPRL) [1], and its subsequent development with the Regulations on Prevention Services (Royal Decree 39/1997) [2], the Spanish state ratified and transposed, five years late, the European Union Framework Directive 89/391-CEE [3], inaugurating a new stage in the prevention of risks in the workplace and the promotion of occupational health. Official records [5] showed a sustained reduction in accidents, going from an incidence rate of 7437.4 accidents per 100,000 workers in 2000 to an indecency rate of 2948.8 in 2012, which meant a reduction in the rate of variation of occupational accidents of 60.35% [6]. This positive evolution was interrupted by the beginning of the financial crisis and the stagnation of the global economy in 2008 (the great recession) as austerity policies were adopted (the great aggression) imposed by the Troika (formed by the European Commission), the European. Health damage produced in the last two years: Damage to health Minor accidents.
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