Providing a safe working environment: Do firm ownership and exporting status matter?

Abstract

This paper hypothesizes that there exists a relationship between the exporting and ownership characteristics of firms and the incidence of accidents at work, using a detailed dataset of manufacturing firms in Viet Nam. There appears to be a positive and highly significant effect of both exporting and foreign ownership on the frequency of accidents. The results obtained are robust across various specifications as well as alternative measures of exporting status and the severity of accidents. The study highlights a greater need for the implementation of labor standards in countries that are becoming increasingly reliant on globalization as a source of economic growth.