Prevention services for occupational safety and health in the European Union: Anachronisms or supports for better practice?

Abstract

This paper reviews recent literature on prevention services for occupational safety and health (OSH) in the changing world of work found in the Member States of the European Union. Based on the findings of a wider review of the literature on support for securing compliance on OSH undertaken for EU-OSHA, it defines what is understood by ‘prevention services’, identifies various historical and current approaches to their operation and explores the regulatory and policy contexts in which they function in the EU. The review identifies a number of serious concerns about the coverage of these services, and their contribution to supporting prevention practice. It finds their marketisation in recent decades has contributed little to their development in these respects. The paper discusses the challenges confronting their future of role in support for good practice in OSH and concludes with a number of questions for policy and future research.