Collaboration, coordination, and cooperation in occupational health and safety management: perspectives of managers, human resource practitioners, and occupational health and safety representatives.

Abstract

Purpose: To increase knowledge about organizations' OHSM, a specific focus should be placed on how managers, HR practitioners, and OHS representatives conduct OHSM.

Methods: A content analysis was carried out based on semi-structured interviews with 18 managers, 6 HR practitioners, and 5 OHS representatives in different industries and occupations.

Results: All three roles had several OHS assignments. Managers initiate, lead, and check activities; HR practitioners develop routines and guidelines (strategic approach), while OHS representatives often initiate regular safety rounds and inspections (practical approach). The organizational conditions for fulfilling their assignments varied among the three roles. In general, managers and HR practitioners had more favourable conditions, while OHS representatives were dependent on others. Collaboration took place mostly between roles involved in strategic OHSM, i.e., top management and HR practitioners, while cooperation took place between roles involved in operational OHSM, i.e., (first-line) managers and OHS representatives. Regulation-based coordination occurred in a top-down manner through HR practitioners, while reactive coordination occurred in a bottom-up manner through OHS representatives.

Conclusions: For more effective and successful OHSM, more developed interprofessional collaboration is needed between all involved roles. Such collaboration needs to be promoted through improved organizational conditions, regardless of role or organizational level.