Systematic occupational health and safety work in Norway: a decade of implementation

A regulation enforcing systematic occupational health and safety work (OHS) in Norwegian enterprises was evaluated on the basis of process criteria stated in the regulation; managerial involvement, active participation from the employees, sufficient training, and a recommended systematic stepwise approach for the implementation process. Data on effects of the regulation were also collected. Results indicated that an unsystematic approach was used by those who had not finished implementing the regulation with relatively more emphasis on "OHS improvement actions" than on the expected preceding step "assessments" and "action plans". Forty-seven percent of all enterprises in Norway, based on self-reports, fulfilled the claims of the regulation in 1999. They had higher levels of training and higher scores on the OHS-activities "assessments" and "action plans". Data and statistics on effects were found unsatisfactory and could not be used in the evaluation due to reduction in unemployment and improved registration procedures during the mid-1990s. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.