Workers involvement in problem solving regarding occupational safety and working conditions: The Polish experience

Abstract

Employee involvement in solving the company's problems has become a certain standard at least in Western European countries. There even appeared a term defining company management with big involvement of employees and it is "participatory management". Employers perceive many benefits flowing from employee involvement in the company's management, which include rising productivity, quality or a stronger position of the company in the market. Among problems solved by employee teams there also appear those concerning work safety and hygiene. The author's experience connected with operation of problem solving teams indicates explicitly that work safety and hygiene can be improved in a similar way. There could be quoted many arguments supporting direct employee involvement in such activity. They include their perfect familiarity with working conditions, activity in their own interest, possibility of shaping their own work environment, and so on. Such activities usually generate many small so/utions, which are however importantfor employees. These are simultaneously solutions not requiring substantial outlays.