Introduction: Lean is increasingly used by garment manufacturers to increase productivity for reducing costs and lead time. Yet, it has not been documented in a review whether lean actually improves productivity, and it is an open question whether lean can improve productivity without jeopardizing occupational health and safety (OHS).Objective: This article contributes to this debate by reviewing the present knowledge about the effect of lean on productivity and OHS in the RMG industry. Methodology: A systematic review of the available peer-reviewed studies of lean in RMG and its related effects on productivity and OHS. Results: We identified 18 relevant articles, which showed strong positive effect of lean on productivity and weak positive to mixed effects of lean on OHS. Conclusions: Our results indicate that lean in RMG is likely to improve productivity, but RMG manufacturers need to make careful assessment of the effect of lean on OHS and adjust lean implementation accordingly. ARTICLE HISTORY

PurposeLean manufacturing has the potential for simultaneously improving the competitiveness and the social sustainability of the apparel industry in developing countries. However, there is limited research on the ways to a successful lean implementation in developing countries and with an emphasis on occupational health and safety (OHS) improvement.Design/methodology/approachThe paper investigates four cases of lean implementation in garment factories and uses the design science research strategy, building on the context-intervention-mechanism-outcome (CIMO) framework to identify explanatory mechanisms that can be used for designing future action.FindingsThe study identifies tangible mechanisms that can lead to successful lean implementation. The most important mechanisms relate to practical top management support, worker involvement, application of lean tools and training.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study can guide better lean implementation for the many garment factories in developing countries.Originality/valueWhile the lean literature provides general recommendations for lean implementation, knowledge about the transfer mechanisms in developing countries as well as the connections between lean and OHS is limited. This paper contributes to lean implementation theory and to the discourse of positive lean by integrating efficiency and working conditions. In addition, the paper identifies transfer mechanisms for lean implementation in the garment industry in a developing country.

BACKGROUND: Garment manufacturers have been adopting lean manufacturing in order to increase productivity and competitiveness. However, the effects of lean on occupational health and safety (OHS) of the workers are not clear. In the literature, there is an ongoing debate about whether lean and OHS are complementary or contradictory. OBJECTIVE:The goal of this study was to contribute to the knowledge base about the relationship between lean and OHS in garment manufacturing. METHODS:The study follows an action research methodology including an intervention aimed at improving productivity and OHS in six garment manufacturers in Bangladesh. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used for investigating the effect of lean tools on productivity and subsequently on OHS. RESULTS: We observed instances of improvements of OHS related to the application of three lean tools (VSM, 5S, Time and Motion Study) in the factories. Furthermore, our results do not indicate negative health effect on workers' short-term muscular pain, but rather show a statistically significant improvement of workers' health. CONCLUSIONS:The results suggest that it is possible to apply lean without adverse effects for workers, if OHS risks are taken into consideration. However, possible long-term effects on workers' health need to be further investigated.

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