Model for the occupational safety and health improvement in small and medium enterprises in Serbia

Abstract

Given the occurrence of a large number of accidents and injuries at work, occupational diseases and work-related diseases in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Serbia (as evidenced by statistics), improving the occupational safety and health of workers (OSH) in these companies is essential importance. Improving OSH (through the implementation of preventive measures, increasing investment in OSH programs, continuous training/education of employers and employees, etc.) reduces injuries at work and occupational diseases, detects and eliminates or reduces hazards that can endanger life, safety and worker health. The main goal of the paper is to emphasize the specifics of occupational safety and health management in SMEs, to point out the most common problems that occur in small and medium enterprises in Serbia, to emphasize the importance of improving OSH in these companies. The paper proposes a complex model of OSH improvement with four basic dependent variables (level of organization safety and health, occupational injuries and occupational diseases, economic consequences of occupational injuries and occupational diseases and business results) and several variables that have a direct impact on these four variables.