Effectiveness of Occupational Safety and Health interventions: a long way to go

Abstract

BackgroundOccupational Safety and Health (OSH) has become an area of increasing concern for organizations and institutions. As it evolves, it has gradually posed ongoing challenges, becoming more complex, for organizations. Consequently, more comprehensive studies are required to advance academic and institutional research. From this perspective, this study aims to gather research contributions on the effectiveness of existing interventions for OSH improvement and identify areas for further exploration.MethodsAccording to the nature of scientific literature, the overall process of a literature review was investigated following an integrative approach, which involved searching for, selecting, and analyzing various literature in a creative and integrated manner, without a predefined structure.ResultsThe analysis suggests that there is room for improvement in understanding the effectiveness of OSH interventions and more concrete guidance is still desirable. Based on the literature, some research areas for future developments in OSH interventions are identified. One potential area to explore further is fostering human-centered technological development and a more conscious network of stakeholders, with higher coordination, shared knowledge, and open communication.ImplicationsFocusing on the proposed directions will support scholars and practitioners in pursuing continuous OSH improvement through more effective and well-grounded workplace interventions and encourage organizations to be proactive in daily OSH management.

Enabling Effective Implementation of Occupational Safety and Health Interventions

“…Nevertheless, do we actually have evidence of the interventions’ effectiveness? Deriving generalizable insights from the literature has proven challenging, primarily due to unique dynamics [ [2] , [4] ]. Several systematic literature reviews have analyzed interventions in an attempt to uncover shared patterns and strategies for improving effectiveness [ 1 , [5] , [6] , [7] ].…”

“…The selection of the most appropriate approach is typically contingent on the specific subject matter and environment [ 11 ]. Furthermore, considering the promotion of human-centric technological development, it becomes crucial to move from interventions that prioritize economic maximization towards ones that aim to harmonize the human, social, and environmental implications with economic and financial factors [ 4 ].…”