The business case of safe and healthy work

New Agency report identifies 10 occupational safety and health criteria that underpin ëcorporate social responsibilityí. Another study finds strong links between the quality of work and productivity.

An analysis of a cross-section of Europeís leading proponents of corporate social responsibility (CSR) has highlighted the key ingredients of an effective CSR strategy, including 10 occupational safety and health (OSH) issues that need to be taken into account.

The research, which is published by the Bilbao-based European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, is based on a study of European businesses, ranging from multinationals such as Volkswagen to small- to medium-sized enterprises, such as the UK computer training company, Happy Computers. Entitled Corporate social Responsibility and Safety and Health at Work, the 126-page report not only pinpoints the 10 key OSH ingredients needed for CSR but also provides analysis of 11 businessesí CSR activities, as well as an overview of initiatives to promote CSR at a global, European and national level.

Some of the 10 OSH criteria for CSR success include:

Linking OSH goals with the companyís 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.

As the report notes, the commercial impact of a well-structured CSR strategy, including OSH, can be significant. At Happy Computers, for example, the company has not only managed to grow in a declining market but also achieved an annual staff turnover of just 8%, half the industry average.

The Agency has also published a working paper that explores the relationship between OSH and a companyís 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 the study, factors that enable higher OSH standards to translate into increased productivity include: close cooperation between the companyís management team and its employees; giving staff greater autonomy and more challenging tasks; and introducing more ergonomic working methods and equipment.

ìBoth reports ñ on corporate social responsibility and productivity ñ underline the importance of treating improvements in occupational safety and health as an investment in competitiveness, not as a cost,î says Hans-Horst Konkolewsky, the Director of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. ìThey clearly show, that such improvements can make a significant contribution to a companyís financial health, as well as to the personal health and safety of its employees: itís a win-win situation for everyone.î