Carrots and sticks - inspection strategies in Denmark

Abstract

Introduction: The duty to assure safe and healthy working condition will always have people in enterprises as the primary actors. They might consult external agencies, but they will never be able to handle the obligation to assure the working environment in an enterprise. This is recognized in the Danish law on working environment. In the preamble the parliament has stated that: This law has in view to create…the foundation for enterprises to solve questions concerning safety and health under guidance from the labour market organizations and guidance and supervision from the labour inspectorate (AML, 1999, our translation) More studies have shown that most enterprises have difficulties in fulfilling the intentions of the law unassisted (Jensen, 2001). More external agencies have explicitly been singled out as having a supportive role by the parliament: the labour inspectorate (officially named National Working Environment Authority of Denmark), the labour market parties and the occupational health services. More studies have addressed the functioning of the occupational health services and the effects of the systems in specific areas (monotonous work and chemical substances). This paper addresses the role of the labor inspectorate in relation to the enterprises as it has developed since the law was passed. The perspective taken emphasizes the strategic decisions taken and the implementations of these decisions. But first ‘the scene’ for regulating working environment in Denmark has to be established. Show more