Governance of Occupational Safety and Health and Environmental Risks

Occupational safety and health (OSH) activities were started in the industrialized countries already 150 years ago. Separated and specific actions were directed at accident prevention, and the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of occupational diseases. As industrialization has advanced, the complexity of safety and health problems and challenges has substantially grown, calling for more comprehensive approaches. Such development has expanded the scope, as well as blurred the borders between specific activities. In the modern world of work, occupational safety and health are part of a complex system that involves innumerable interdependencies and interactions. These are, for instance, safety, health, well-being, aspects of the occupational and general environment, corporate policies and social responsibility, community policies and services, community social environment, workers’ families, their civil life, lifestyles and social networks, cultural and religious environments, and political and media environments.