Identifying Occupational Health and Safety Risk Assessment Development Needs in Finnish Case Companies

Abstract

Occupational health and safety (OHS) risk assessment is considered an important part of companies’ safety management and the fulfilment of statutory obligations. In companies, however, it is not always known what kind of expertise and views the personnel have in relation to OHS risk assessment. In this study, the aim is to identify OHS risk assessment development needs using a questionnaire in three Finnish companies. The questionnaire was aimed at the entire personnel. The results (n = 348) revealed a demand for OHS risk assessment needs development in terms of training and raising awareness, resourcing, and different types of communication, including discussions with employees about the results of risk assessments, progress measures, and the comparison of risk assessments at different locations. Future research should verify that the development targets identified through the questionnaire are relevant to companies.