Degree of integration of risk preventive measures in the management system of companies in the electricity sector

Abstract

Despite the increasingly severe POH (Prevention and Occupational Health) regulation and the mandatory use of more effective protection equipment, workplace accidents and mishaps are still common events worldwide. Moreover, these mishaps include a considerable number of occasional accidents, that is, those that are caused by unsafe working conditions and behaviours, and therefore, could be avoided. Aiming to investigate the causes of such failures, the present study analyses the adoption and application of prevention measures within companies of the electricity (which has one of the highest levels of accidents). In this context, data on the organisation and adoption of prevention measures was collected through a survey with workers and supervisors of companies from Galicia, Spain (n = 220). Results suggest that there is a general deficiency regarding awareness of risk within companies from the sector, which leads to an insufficiency of adequate prevention measures. More specifically, a considerable percentage of both managers and workers have shown not to have enough knowledge on POH. Practical implications to mitigate these problems are addressed in the conclusions.