Promoting OSH is a major pillar in industrial and social sustainability, particularly when smaller enterprises are concerned. This research programme focuses on the development of evidence-based recommendations to foster more effective EU policies, workers’ empowerment, and OSH organisational maturity. Two large studies have been undertaken so far: a systematic nationwide survey on the role of Worker Safety Representatives (RLS), and the creation of a EU wide knowledge base on OSH in micro and small enterprises.
Policies, Processes and Tools for Promoting Occupational Safety and Health (OSH)
About the project
Principal Investigators: Raffaella Cagliano, Enrico Cagno, Paolo Trucco
Researcher team: Guido J.L. Micheli, Donato Masi (EXT), Sarah Behnam, Rossella Onofrio, Mattia Donadoni, Alessandra Neri, Mattia Iannantuoni
Funders: European Agency for Safety and Health at the Workplace (EU-OSHA); INAIL-DIMEILA
Duration: 2015 – to date
Partners: Multiple
KEY RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Two large studies have been undertaken so far:
- IMPACT-RLS – Participatory and territorial models for occupational health and safety: survey, methodologies and tools. In the context of OSH, the positive role of workers’ representation, involvement and consultation for better OSH management arrangements is largely discussed in literature; however, the focus is typically on personal traits. The objective of this research is to expand the scope of previous studies by exploring the relationship between OSH organizational maturity and the role of Worker Safety Representatives (RLS), and consequently the effect on OSH performance. To this end, an extensive survey was conducted across Italy covering almost all sectors, addressing a large-scale sample of the RLS population (> 2000). Building on the developed theoretical framework, the direct link between RLS role, OSH organizational maturity and OSH performance was verified. We are currently working on the systematization of the survey methodology and the standardization of the tools to guarantee its long-term implementation at national level.
- SESAME – Improving OSH in Small and Micro Enterprises – From Policy to Practice the View from the Workplace. This study was made in response to the European Agency for Safety and Health at the Workplace (EU-OSHA) call for research on occupational safety and health (OSH) in micro and small enterprises. Referring to EU-OSHA’s 2014-2020 strategy, the project contributed to the development of new and better evidence-based European policies with regard to OSH, which is an essential concern of EU-OSHA. The project collected, analysed and disseminated new and comprehensive knowledge and understanding on: policies and strategies; tools and resources; and workplace views and practices with regards to OSH in micro and small enterprises. For this purpose, highly-regarded expert research teams from nine EU Member States that are each representative of different types of occupational safety and health ‘regimes’ (policies, regulations and practices) and their socio-economic and regulatory contexts, were brought together in the SESAME consortium.
OUTPUTS & IMPACTS
- Cagno E., Micheli G.J.L. “The Role of Intermediaries – National report Italy – European Risk Observatory”, European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, pp. –, ISBN: –, DOI: –, 2018 (to appear).
- Cagno E., Micheli G.J.L. “The View from the Workplace – National report Italy – European Risk Observatory”, European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, pp. –, ISBN: –, DOI: –, 2018 (to appear).
- Micheli G.J.L., Cagno E., Calabrese A., “The Transition from OSH Interventions to OSH Outcomes: An Empirical Analysis of Mechanisms and Contextual Factors within SMEs”, DOI: 10.3390/ijerph15081621, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15, 1621, 2018.
- Cagliano, R., Trucco, P., Di Nunzio, D., Bellomo, S., Buresti, G., Boccuni, F., Calleri, S., Frascheri, C., Lupi, M., IMPAcT-RLS: indagine sui modelli partecipativi aziendali e territoriali per la salute e la sicurezza sul lavoro. Il ruolo dei Rappresentanti dei Lavoratori per la Sicurezza e le interazioni con gli attori della prevenzione. Rapporto di ricerca. INAIL, 2017
- Cagliano, R., Trucco, P., Onofrio, R., Behnam, S., OH&S Management System maturity and performance: the role of Safety Worker Representatives, Proceeding of POMS Conference, 5-8 May, 2017.
- Cagliano, R., Trucco, P., Onofrio, R., Behnam, S., OH&S Management System maturity and performance: the role of Safety Worker Representatives, Proceeding of XXIV International Annual EurOMA Conference, 1-5 July, 2017.
- European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, “Safety and health in micro and small enterprises in the EU: from policy to practice – European Risk Observatory Report”, European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, ISBN: 978-92-9496-641-4, DOI: 10.2802/54078, 2017 (intellectual contributors).
- European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, “Safety and health in micro and small enterprises in the EU: from policy to practice – European”, European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, ISBN: 978-92-9496-643-8, DOI: 10.2802/270452, 2017 (intellectual contributors).
- Cagno E., Micheli G.J.L. “Good example 24. Subsidies for companies — free training courses for the staff in charge of safety in SMEs – Italy”, in “Safety and health in micro and small enterprises in the EU: from policy to practice. Description of good examples”, Hasle P., Refslund B., Antonsson A-B, Ramioul M., Walters D. (eds.), European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 158-160, pp. 282, ISBN: 978-92-9496-643-8, DOI: 10.2802/270452, 2017.
- Cagno E., Micheli G.J.L. “Good example 25. OSH training for the construction industry in combination with OSH support for workplaces – Italy”, in “Safety and health in micro and small enterprises in the EU: from policy to practice. Description of good examples”, Hasle P., Refslund B., Antonsson A-B, Ramioul M., Walters D. (eds.), European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 161-167, pp. 282, ISBN: 978-92-9496-643-8, DOI: 10.2802/270452, 2017. Cagno E., Micheli G.J.L. “Good example 30. ISI-INAIL — incentives to companies for the implementation of interventions relating to health and safety at work – Italy”, in “Safety and health in micro and small enterprises in the EU: from policy to practice. Description of good examples”, Hasle P., Refslund B., Antonsson A-B, Ramioul M., Walters D. (eds.), European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 192-197, pp. 282, ISBN: 978-92-9496-643-8, DOI: 10.2802/270452, 2017.
- Cagno E., Micheli G.J.L., Di Tecco C., “Good example 41. A tool for the risk assessment and risk management of work-related stress – Italy”, in “Safety and health in micro and small enterprises in the EU: from policy to practice. Description of good examples”, Hasle P., Refslund B., Antonsson A-B, Ramioul M., Walters D. (eds.), European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 261-267, pp. 282, ISBN: 978-92-9496-643-8, DOI: 10.2802/270452, 2017.
- Cagno E., Masi D., Pinto Leão C., “Drivers for OSH Interventions in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises”, doi: 10.1080/10803548.2015.1117351, International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics, 22(1), 102–115, 2016.
- Masi D., Cagno E., “Barriers to OSH Interventions in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises”, doi: 10.1016/j.ssci.2014.05.020, Safety Science, 71, 226–241, 2015.
PARTNERS
- HIVA – Research Institute for Work and Society, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven – Belgium
- CWERC Work Environment Research Centre, Cardiff University – United Kingdom
- Center for Industrial Production, Aalborg University – Denmark
- Swedish Environmental Research Institute – Sweden
- Kooperationsstelle Hamburg IFE – Germany
- Tallinn School of Economics and Business Administration, Tallinn University of Technology – Estonia
- National Research and Development Institute of Occupational Safety – Romania
- Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Cognitique, Institut Polytechnique de Bordeaux – France
- Confapi
- Confartigianato
- Fondazione Di Vittorio
- University of Perugia
- Italian Workers Unions: CGIL, CIS, UIL.
