Title: Occupational health and safety management system effectiveness: reflections from theory and insights from practice

Authors: Michela Marchiori; Paola Demartini; Valentina Albano; Francesco Maria Barbini

Addresses: Department of Business Studies, University of Rome III, Via Silvio D'Amico 77, 00145, Rome, Italy ' Department of Business Studies, University of Rome III, Via Silvio D'Amico 77, 00145, Rome, Italy ' Department of Business Studies, University of Rome III, Via Silvio D'Amico 77, 00145, Rome, Italy ' Department of Management, University of Bologna, Via Capo di Lucca 34, 40126, Bologna, Italy

Abstract: Since the end of the 1990s, management systems (MSs) have been progressively recognised as a fundamental element to address different categories of corporate risk, including occupational health and safety (OHS). However, despite the widespread use of MSs, the definition of their underlying characteristics and the evaluation of their effectiveness with respect to the expected outcomes still appear as two unresolved and neglected questions. This paper aims to contribute to answering these questions. First, a comparative analysis of the literature on management control systems (MCSs) and OHS-MSs was run, aiming to highlight how OHS-MSs share the same control-based philosophy and the same approach as MCSs. Then, an empirical investigation was conducted to gather the views of OHS key players from the Italian waste management sector. The comparative analysis of the literature, complemented by the empirical investigation, outlines the relationships between MCSs and OHS-MSs and highlights the consequent criticalities emerging in terms of risk prevention.

Keywords: OHS risk prevention; management control system effectiveness; OHS regulations; waste management industry; OHS management system; OHS management system effectiveness.

DOI: 10.1504/IJENVH.2017.083976

International Journal of Environment and Health, 2017 Vol.8 No.2, pp.164 - 184

Received: 01 Sep 2015
Accepted: 16 Sep 2016
Published online: 29 Apr 2017 *

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