Workplace safety in the supply chain: a review of the literature and call for research

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review the literature and call for additional research into the human, operational, and regulatory issues that contribute to workplace safety in the supply chain.Design/methodology/approachFollowing the safety typology of Brown, this paper identifies several potential research opportunities that can increase awareness of the importance of improving a firm's workplace safety practices. To inform the Brown typology, the paper follows the procedures described in Carter et al. and Maloni and Carter to conduct the comprehensive review of the safety literature across six logistics and transportation journals.FindingsThis paper identifies 108 articles which inform the Brown typology. The paper reports how the logistics and transportation safety literature has evolved across the human, operational, and regulatory safety domain across the following journals: International Journal of Logistics Management, International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, Journal of Business Logistics, Journal of Supply Chain Management, Transportation Research Part E, and Transportation Journal. The paper identifies 14 future research opportunities within the workplace safety in the supply chain domain.Practical implicationsThe 14 future research opportunities that have been identified can have a positive effect on practitioners confronted with safety issues.Originality/valueGiven the importance of workplace safety, it is important that firms across all echelons of the supply chain improve their safety practices. This paper contributes to the literature and highlights important managerial and public policy concerns on workplace safety performance in the supply chain.