Critical Success Factors in Occupational Safety and Health Management System: A Review Existing Literature

Abstract

Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems (OSHMS) play a crucial role in systematically managing risks and preventing injuries and illnesses in organisations. To ensure effective implementation of OSHMS, it is essential to focus on key critical success factors (CSFs) which leads to successful OSH performance. This is a review which aims to identify CSFs related to OSHMS implementation in organisations. Literature searches were conducted via Scopus and ScienceDirect online databases to identify articles published between the year 2008 to 2019. Search terms such as “critical success factor”, “success factors’’, “occupational safety and health management system”, “occupational health”, and “management system” were used as keywords and a traditional review concept was selected. Inclusion criteria involved English articles available in open-access journals or subscribed search engines, focusing on CSFs and/or OSHMS. The main themes of CSFs were summarised into categories fitting the Socio-Technical approach. Five studies were selected and reviewed, representing the aviation, construction and chemical industry sectors. These studies employed various tools involving questionnaires, qualitative techniques and structured interviews to determine CSFs. The identified CSFs primarily revolved around internal factors such as management commitment and leadership, cost and resource allocation and employee participation. These CSFs can serve as key areas to support the effective implementation of OSHMS and organisations can focus to improve their own internal factors to enhance their OSHMS implementation and ensure the safety, health, and well-being of their workers. This review provides valuable insights for organisations seeking a scalable framework for guiding OSHMS implementation basedon the identified CSFs.