Improving organisational health and safety performance: theoretical framework and contemporary approaches

This article reviews accident causation, prevention and occupational health and safety (OHS) management as an opportunity for improving organisational performance. A theoretical framework based on a periodization scheme is introduced first. This is then used to examine developments in two inter-twined areas of research; accident causation and OHS management, associated with the first era. According to this five age/three era framework; six theories and models have been used for explaining accident causation, and three approaches commonly used for managing OHS. The key premises of accident causation theories and models are that accidents can be associated with single factors, mostly caused by unsafe acts of humans, and the sequence of events which lead to them occurring involves a linear sequence of events. The three main strategies for managing OHS in this era included technical, regulatory and behavior-based safety; with only one of these being informed through research on accident causation. Limitations and implications for practice of these are discussed, together with some identified gaps in research and practice.