The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work has published a report entitled Corporate Social Responsibility and Safety and Health at Work.

The report identifies several practical issues that are important for managers, employees and occupational safety and health (OSH) professionals when considering the introduction of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Eleven company case studies show how enterprises have integrated OSH issues in CSR. The report also contains an overview of global, European, and national initiatives to promote CSR.

The research pinpoints the 10 key OSH ingredients needed for CSR. They include:

• Linking OSH goals with the company’s long-term strategic and environmental objectives;
• Integrating OSH into key departments and activities, such as human resources and marketing;
• Taking into account external, as well as internal, aspects of OSH, including the need to ensure suppliers aspire to the same OSH standards;
• Communicating OSH developments openly and honestly to both internal and external stakeholders.

The Agency has also published a working paper that explores the relationship between OSH and a company’s productivity. Entitled Quality of the Working Environment and Productivity, the findings of the study indicate that there is a strong relationship: the higher the OSH standards, the higher the productivity. And vice versa. In some cases, a good safety record can even be used to predict future profitability.

According to this study, factors that enable higher OSH standards to translate into increased productivity include: close cooperation between the company’s management team and its employees; giving staff greater autonomy and more challenging tasks; and introducing more ergonomic working methods and equipment.