PERCEPTION OF SAFETY ISSUES AND INVESTMENTS IN SAFETY MANAGEMENT IN SMALL- AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES: A SURVEY IN THE LECCO AREA

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1 Vol. 4, n. 1, 7-18 PERCEPTION OF SAFETY ISSUES AND INVESTMENTS IN SAFETY MANAGEMENT IN SMALL- AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES: A SURVEY IN THE LECCO AREA Guido J.L. Micheli, Enrico Cagno Politecnico di Milano (Polytechnic University), Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering, Milan, Italy (Keywords: safety management, investments, survey, SMEs, Lecco) ABSTRACT BACKGROUND - The impact of the cost of occupational accidents is estimated to vary between 1% and 3% of the gross domestic product (GDP) and, more crucially, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) cannot easily sustain it. Nevertheless, SMEs rarely acknowledge the real costs of unsafety and that it pays to invest in the implementation or improvement of their safety management system. OBJECTIVES - A survey was conducted to determine the importance of SMEs perception of safety with respect to the critical issues to be addressed, and also to identify and define the current safety management priorities and methods - primarily in terms of investments. The results of this survey have served as a basis for developing a computerized system for safety management - the object of the research project E-merging, financed by the Italian National Institute for Insurance against Occupational Accidents (INAIL) and the Association of Smalland Medium-sized Enterprises of Lecco (API Lecco). METHODS - A questionnaire was administered to 396 SMEs in the engineering industry of the province of Lecco, containing closed-format questions and divided into three main sections - the role of safety in the enterprise; policies and guidelines for safety management and risk prevention; critical economic, legislative and operational issues, accident rate, more urgent interventions. The response rate was 27.5%, consisting of 84 small-sized and micro enterprises and 25 medium-sized enterprises. Each questionnaire was examined to verify the consistency of the responses; when inconsistent, the respondents were contacted to complete the questionnaire again. RESULTS - The provision of training and information to personnel has been considered of fundamental importance for many years, and the majority of safety interventions have focussed on these two aspects. Technical compliance, whether in response to external factors BOW PO/base indexing: EUOSHA - OSH: Small and medium - sifed companies [OSH: 01201D]; Funding [OSH: 24881C]; Investigation [OSH: 25081C]; Safety and health management [OSH: 11201B] CIS: Metalworking industry [CIS: Xes]; Small enterprises [CIS: Kul]; Measurement and investigation [CIS: Q] NACE - ATECO: Manufacture of basic metals [ATECO: 27]; Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment [ATECO: 28]; Manufacture of machinery and equipment [ATECO: 29] 7

2 (legislation) or internal factors (increase in production capacity and quality standards), has been a consistently pursued objective and continues to benefit from investments. The enterprises that currently acknowledge the important role of management and organizational factors in safety, are beginning to invest accordingly, and are focussing on improving the processes and methods of collecting, systematically analysing and reporting of data. INTRODUCTION The Green Paper, Entrepreneurship in Europe [1], published by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work on 21 January 2003, demonstrates that the issue of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) is an essential aspect of the broader concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). In this sense, enterprises characterized by poor internal social performances, experience great difficulties in achieving high performances for the client and for its supply chain. Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are key players in Europe, but the health and safety conditions of their employees are often markedly inferior to those of larger firms. Indeed, more than 65% of the European labour force is employed in SMEs, and the average incidence rate for fatal accidents in small enterprises is considerably higher than in large enterprises [2,3]. Inadequate working conditions cannot only lead to personal distress and even death, but also to significant economic gaps in firms and in society. The impact of the cost of occupational accidents is estimated to vary between 1% and 3% of the gross domestic product (GDP) of various nations [4] and, more crucially, SMEs cannot easily sustain it. Nevertheless, SMEs rarely acknowledge the real costs of unsafety (including costs that are not directly visible such as those associated with lower productivity, higher number of absences from work and worker turnover due to illness) and that it pays to invest in the implementation or improvement of their safety management system. To conclude, even basic compliance with the applicable standards appears to be difficult for SMEs. Therefore, it is a question of fundamental economic and social importance that SMEs succeed in improving their own performance in occupational safety and health management. State of the art The European Council Directive 89/391/EEC of 12 June 1989 on the introduction of measures to encourage improvements in the safety and health of workers at work, is the legislative basis for safety and health management in the European Union. Its adoption was an important step forward for safety legislation and it focussed attention on risk assessment and management in order to guarantee effectiveness of safety management [5]. This directive was duly transposed into Italian legislation by Legislative Decree 626/94 - Implementation of EEC Directives on improving workers' safety and health in the workplace [6]. Nevertheless, although the Decree directly applies to all types of enterprises, it seems to have been drafted to the needs and characteristics of large enterprises to the detriment of SMEs. This is a problem because SMEs have limited human, economic and technological resources and the safety management methods adopted by the large enterprises cannot be transferred to and used by SMEs [7] without substantial changes. Consequently, the gap between the different types of enterprises, evident also at the international level [8], becomes difficult to bridge. Furthermore, data from the Italian National Institute for Insurance against Occupational Accidents (INAIL) [9] show, at least in a first stage, that the size of the enterprise and the sector in which it operates could be significant parameters to consider when planning and allocating 8

3 investments for safety management interventions. As regards this type of intervention, the literature provides various examples of how structured and formalized safety and quality management systems have had a significant impact on safety in the enterprise and on its competitiveness [10-12]. Yet, for SMEs, this emphasis on formalized management systems has also been criticized for allegedly imposing an unsustainable structure [13]. In this regard, the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) has adopted a position consistent with Tait et al. [14], affirming that a simple but adequate system of safety management for SMEs is necessary [15] and that it is essential, therefore, to identify the critical safety-related issues specific to SMEs, starting with the internationally recognized economic, legislative and operational macro-areas. In order to develop a simple yet adequate system of safety management for SMEs, the Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering of the Politecnico di Milano (Polytechnic University of Milan) in collaboration with the Association of Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises of the Province of Lecco (API Lecco) and the INAIL, has set up the project, Electronic Tool for Merging SMEs OSH Data and Information to Support OSH Management and Improve Business Competitiveness (E-merging). The objective of the project is to create software with a web-based interface capable of supporting SMEs in their main safety management activities through the exchange of safety-related data and information and of certain management parameters of the enterprise. More specifically, the project aims to create information and training tools for workers and enterprises to improve their safety management, and to properly prioritise investments in safety interventions. Indeed, the literature does not currently stress that the lack of a safety management system in SMEs inevitably leads to investments in safety-related interventions on the basis of the perception of unsafety rather than on the basis of a detailed analysis of available data and of a prioritization of these data according to the ratio between benefits and use of resources. Survey objective A survey phase was developed within the E-merging project to determine how much SMEs perceive safety to be important with respect to the critical issues to be faced and also to identify and define the current safety management priorities and methods, especially in terms of investments, which are the primary indicators of the real, overall priorities in the economy of a firm. This survey has provided fundamental information in determining safety culture in SMEs, the primary beneficiaries of the software tool proposed by the E-merging project. This will facilitate the development of a safety management system more in harmony to its users and based, at least in the first phase, on their culture and their actual behaviour and needs. 1. METHODS A preliminary analysis was conducted on the internationally recognized economic, legislative and operational macro-areas in order to obtain detail and to better identify the variables of interest and context variables. To this purpose, unstructured, open-format interviews were carried out with advisers and managers who work on safety-related issues. The following variables of interest were identified following the preliminary analysis: perceived importance of safety; investments in safety interventions; Perception of safety issues and investments in safety management in small-sized and medium-sized enterprises: a survey in the Lecco area 9

4 critical economic issues associated with safety; critical legislative issues associated with safety; critical operational issues associated with safety; accident rate; perception of safety themes demanding greater attention. Regarding the context variables, the following were identified: annual turnover; number of employees; reference industrial sub-sector according to the API Lecco classification (metallurgy, mechanical processes; machinery; plant engineering; electro-mechanics-electronics); low/high historical accident rate; few/many critical issues perceived in relation to safety. Then, in collaboration with the API Lecco, a questionnaire was prepared and tested on a sample of SMEs following the procedures indicated by Barnett [16]. The questionnaire (Annexe 1) was divided into three basic sections: Section A - The role of safety in the enterprise ; Section B - The operational management of safety (policies and guidelines for safety management and risk prevention); Section C - Problems in safety management (critical economic, legislative and operational issues, accident rate, more urgent interventions). This closed-format questionnaire was administered to 396 SMEs in the engineering sector, which was highly representative of the area where the survey was conducted and characterized by generally high average accident rates compared to the average values shown for Industry and Services [9]. This sample consisted of 138 medium-sized enterprises, 151 small-sized enterprises and 107 micro enterprises. With API Lecco s collaboration, the final response rate was high at 27.5%, consisting of 84 small-sized and micro enterprises and 25 medium-sized enterprises - see the remarks on the response rate for similar surveys [17-18]. Each questionnaire was examined to verify the consistency of the responses (using a set of control questions devised prior to administering the questionnaire); consistency was established in 99.1% of the cases; when inconsistent, the respondents were contacted to complete the questionnaire again. 2. RESULTS The importance attributed to safety by the sample SMEs is considerable. As shown in Figure 1, in 83% of the cases (A1+A2), safety was perceived as of primary importance or at least as one of the priority areas to improve. Only 15% of the enterprises (A4) regarded the issue of safety as a mere obligation to comply with the law. 10

5 Figure 1 - Role of safety (one answer only) A1 A2 A3 A4 50% 45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% A1 A2 A3 A4 It is of primary concern Although not of primary concern, it remains one of the priorities to improve It is of secondary concern, and any interest in its improvement is dependent on the occurrence of saccidents It is limited to compliance with legal obligations As shown in Figure 2, the lack of incentives to sustain proper safety prevention and training activities was the most frequently raised critical issue (B1). The responses indicated that external incentives are required to supplement insufficient in-house resources in order to address operational safety issues. Many enterprises encounter difficulties in planning interventions due to the lack of competences, and management and technical tools in the area of safety (B2+B3); this issue represents a significant obstacle to complying with the provisions of Legislative Decree 626/94, aimed to facilitate pro-active safety management within enterprises. Despite some exceptions, the size of the enterprise appears to play a key role on the acquisition and maintenance of such competences and tools within the enterprise, and recourse to external agencies is often the best solution. The lack or inadequacies of inspection systems (B4) are considered minor issues. Currently, few enterprises wait for external inspections (which often result in financial penalties) to obtain information on compliance with safety standards and on the strictly required interventions needed, whereas the majority of enterprises have implemented measures (either internally or by means of an external agency) to carry out continuous proactive inspections. Data on organisational issues (B5+B7), contrary to the international literature [19]), showed to have a limited impact. However, the perception of this issue may be shadowed when compared with other issues characterised by more immediate visible effects such as the lack of resources or the difficulties encountered in planning interventions. The level of familiarity with personal protective equipment is excellent, and only a normal, small percentage of enterprises (B6) declared that familiarity with this equipment is poor. Perception of safety issues and investments in safety management in small-sized and medium-sized enterprises: a survey in the Lecco area 11

6 Figure 2 - Operational and organizational issues (several answers allowed) 45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6 B7 other B1 Lack of incentives to sustain proper safety prevention and training activities B2 Difficulty in planning interventions due to the lack of formalized management tools and procedures B3 Difficulty in planning interventions due to the lack of competence in the area of safety B4 Inadequate inspection systems to verify that safety standards are properly observed B5 Poorly-distributed tasks and responsibilities B6 Deficient of familiarity with personal protective equipment B7 Inadeguate work procedures other As regards the issues associated with safety management, more than half of the small- and medium-sized enterprises (Figure 3, C1) reported that Legislative Decree 626/94 is inadequate with respect to their size. The decree appears to have been drafted on the model of the large enterprise, imposing a series of requirements no longer based only on technical standards, but on a systematic approach to safety that is not compatible with the organizational structure of SMEs. Despite the great advances brought about by Legislative Decree 626/94 and subsequent regulatory interventions, the legislative regime on safety fails in part to tailor the prevention obligations to the size of the enterprise. Indeed, many smalland medium-sized enterprises (C3) would prefer to have a set list of standards to follow and apply rather than a series of guidelines to interpret and implement. This may also be the main reason why the decree is perceived as only a legal obligation rather than a source of opportunities following an investment (C2). Finally, 18% of enterprises (C4), confirm that they face financial difficulties even in providing basic training and information for workers. Therefore, the financial issue is already significant when it comes to basic compliance with the minimum legal requirements. 12

7 Figure 3 - Normative issues (several answers allowed) 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% C1 C2 C3 C4 other C1 Legislative provisions are inadequate and not tailored to the needs of the enterprise C2 The applicable norms are perceived as a source of obligations rather than of benefits C3 Legislative provisions fail to precisely define the operational procedures of safety management C4 Financial difficulties in promoting information and training activities other As shown in Figure 4, D1, almost 40% of enterprises reported, first and foremost, to be subject to technological constraints owing to the equipment used. This issue, as we will see below, has been strongly confirmed both in the interventions carried out in recent years and in the priorities that are to be improved in the future. The excessive costs of safety management and the lack of economic resources (D2+D4) are perceived as problems that are also inherent in safety management. The economic issue is considerable; the available financial resources are limited and are preferably invested in other priorities. Consequently, safety training of personnel is deficient (D5), thus familiarity with standards is poor (D3) and, to a lesser extent, there are problems with the legislation and inspection activities (D6). As with the organizational issue, the perception of the problem strictly from the safety management point of view of (D7+no), contrary to the literature [7], is minimal. It is in all likelihood lessened when compared with other factors that are more operational and have more immediate visible effects. In summary, one sees that such issues as poor familiarity with the reference standards and the limited available economic resources represent the most significant problems for safety management, in the strict sense of the word, in SMEs. In line with what has been shown in the literature, the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work [15] also believes that these two aspects are priorities in the management of safety in SMEs; this explains why, over the last few years, the Agency has been investing considerable resources with a view to improve these issues. Perception of safety issues and investments in safety management in small-sized and medium-sized enterprises: a survey in the Lecco area 13

8 Figure 4 - Safety management issues (several answers permitted). 45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D6 D7 other no D1 Technological constraints owing to the type of production and machines used D2 Safety management is very costly for enterprises D3 Poor familiarity with standards D4 Lack of financial resources to improve safety D5 Safety training of personnel is deficient D6 Problems with the legislation and inspection activities D7 Deficient safety management operational tools and procedures other no No particular safety management problems As shown in Figure 5, the disaggregation of the responses on the burden of safety management with respect to the size of the enterprise reveals that the perception of the issues involved is much greater in small-sized and micro enterprises than in medium-sized enterprises. Consequently, the perceived high costs of safety management, and the inability to invest resources in the promotion of workers training activities, lead to a limited number of activities and interventions for the promotion of safety, and to an absence or insufficient use of safety management operational techniques and tools. Figure 5 - The burden of safety management. E2 85% Medium-sized enterprises E1 15% Micro/small-sized enterprises E2 63% E1 37% E1 E2 Safety management is very costly for the enterprise Safety management is not very costly for the enterprise 14

9 In general, a significant number of SMEs have not carried out this type of intervention in the last three years. If unsafety is assessed by only considering the indicator of the number of accidents that occurred in the short term, it will lead to a distorted perception of unsafety, resulting in an underestimation of its real risks and costs in enterprises with few employees (Figure 6), where the probability of an accident is significantly lower than in large enterprises (with thousands of employees) characterized by the same level of risk. Figure 6 - Interventions over the last three years F1 F2 Medium-sized enterprises F2 100% F1 0% Micro/small-sized enterprises The SMEs which did carry out interventions (Figure 7), focussed their investments on issues that affected them the most, i.e., associated with purely regulatory or legislative aspects: training and information of workers on safety themes (G1); upgrading installations to comply with safety standards (G2); introducing safer production technologies and/or personal protective equipment (G3). The majority of enterprises experiencing organizational problems also responded with interventions of an organizational nature. A tendency is observed among SMEs to outsource safety management to compensate for the lack of specific competences within the enterprise (G6). This tendency is markedly greater in small-sized enterprises, unlike in medium-sized firms where a changing culture is increasingly leading to considering safety as a long-term investment issue. As shown in Figure 8, the percentage of enterprises that reported that they did not carry out any safety interventions (almost 30%) is even more significant when compared to the percentage of investments made in the last three years (Figure 6); this is especially alarming when considering that this percentage consists mainly of small-sized enterprises. For the remaining 70% of the sample - consistently with the investments of recent years and with the perception of the most critical issues - the intervention priorities for the coming years are: information and training activities for personnel (H1); upgrading for compliance or replacement of production equipment (H2). The above confirms the trend of investments in the last three years. It is observed that for the first time there is a strong tendency also for management and organizational interventions, ranging from adopting guidelines and good practices (H3) to defining the organizational safety structure (H6). In other words, the perception of safety issues is changing and, at last, it is leading enterprises to consider the possibility of long-term structural/organizational investments. F2 82% No safety interventions were carried out over the last 3 years Safety interventions were carried out over the last 3 years F1 18% Perception of safety issues and investments in safety management in small-sized and medium-sized enterprises: a survey in the Lecco area 15

10 Figure 7 - The main safety interventions carried out over the last 3 years (several answers allowed) 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% G1 G2 G3 G4 G5 G6 G7 G8 other no G1 Training and information of workers on safety themes G2 Upgrading of installations in compliance with safety standards G3 Introduction of safer production technologies and/or personal protective equipment G4 Modification of organizational procedures, in particular of obligations and responsibilities G5 Modification of operational safety procedures G6 Shifting from internal to external safety management G7 Shifting from external to internal safety management G8 Adoption of new guidelines, in compliance with current norms, which are better suited to the needs of the enterprise other no No particular safety interventions have been carried out 18

11 Figure 8 - Issues to be addressed and improved (several answers allowed) 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 3. DISCUSSION H1 H2 H3 H4 H5 H6 H7 H8 other no H1 Information and training activities for personnel H2 Upgrading for compliance or replacement of production equipment H3 Adoption of guidelines and good practices in compliance with current standards H4 Modification of operational procedures and safety activities which are more suitable to the needs of the enterprise H5 Improvement of procedures and methods for the gathering, systematic analysis and reporting of data H6 Definition of the organizational safety structure H7 Shifting to the internal management of safety H8 Shifting to the external management of safety other no There are no major safety issues requiring interventions The survey conducted in the Lecco area allowed the major safety issues perceived by SMEs to emerge. The survey also allowed to examine the identification methods of intervention priorities that, from a business economics viewpoint, take the form of coherent safety investments. Technical compliance, whether in response to external factors (legislation) or internal factors (increase in production capacity and quality standards), has been a consistently pursued objective and continues to benefit from investments. The enterprises that currently acknowledge the important role of management and organizational factors in safety, are beginning to invest accordingly, and are focussing on improving the processes and methods of collecting, systematically analysing and reporting data. To conclude, the funding schemes of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work for projects aimed at improving safety in SMEs [20], are giving a strong impetus to developing safety culture in SMEs, by establishing good practices and training activities for workers on safety themes. As regards the continuous growth of prevention culture which is achieved through effective training, the results of the survey have been encouraging; in addition to the Perception of safety issues and investments in safety management in small-sized and medium-sized enterprises: a survey in the Lecco area 17

12 fact that over 70% of the enterprises promoted training and information activities for their workers, around 50% of them reported that they have to invest further in this area. Last but not least, non-legislative methods such as voluntary standards, guidelines and good practices - to be considered low cost tools necessary for a proper approach to safety management - at last form part of the interventions envisaged by SMEs. 19

13 Annex 1 - questionnaire General information on the Enterprise Name Contact person (Name, surname and position within the enterprise) Tel Fax Street City Legal form: q Sole proprietorship q Limited partnership q Unlimited partnership q Limited liability company q Public limited company q Other Turnover category: q < q > < q > < q > q > < q > < q > < Production sector: q Metallurgy q Mechanical processes q Electro-mechanics-electronics q Machinery q Plant engineering How many persons are currently employed in the enterprise? Production workers Managers, administration staff, technicians PLEASE ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS BY CHECKING THE APPROPRIATE BOXES Section A THE ROLE OF SAFETY IN THE ENTERPRISE 1) What importance does safety play in the enterprise? (one answer only) q it is of primary concern q although not of primary concern, it remains one of the priorities to improve q it is of secondary concern, and any interest in its improvement is dependent on the occurrence of accidents q it is limited to compliance with legal obligations Perception of safety issues and investments in safety management in small-sized and medium-sized enterprises: a survey in the Lecco area 2) How does the management of the enterprise support the culture of safety-promotion? (max 3 answers) q it defines the safety objectives and the activities that contribute to their achievement q it defines the duties and responsibilities of personnel in relation to safety 20

14 q it is actively involved in the training of workers in the field of safety and health promotion q it earmarks financial resources for measures that promote safety and health q it does not provide for any particular activities promoting health issues q other actions (specify) 3) Taking into account the economic and financial conditions and the current investment in safety, the enterprise: (one answer only) q intends to invest further economic and financial resources in improving safety q considers that investing in safety can bring advantages, but lacks the resources to do so q lacks the resources but if it did have them, it would earmark them for other priorities q does not consider investment to improve safety as a priority, even though it has the resources Section B THE OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT OF SAFETY 4) How is safety managed in the enterprise? (one answer only) q it is managed internally, by personnel with the necessary expertise q it is managed internally, but individual areas of competence are outsourced to specialized companies q it is managed externally (advisers, experts etc ) q other (specify) The Enterprise additionally refers to the following regulations/guidelines: q Legislative Decree 626/94 q ILO-OSH 2001 q OHSAS q other (specify) 5) As regards data quantification and the results of the prevention activities: (several answers allowed q critical events are recorded which did NOT cause injury (near misses) q the costs of accidents are quantified q the costs associated with the absence of injuries/accidents as a result of prevention, training and safety management activities are quantified q periodic controls are carried out using data from the accident register q systematic and standard risk analyses are conducted by task or by location q other (specify) 6) Do you use safety management software? (one answer only) q Yes q NO If yes, specify the name of the software: 14

15 Select the characteristics of the software in use, marking YES or NO beside each entry Type and purpose Accidents recording q yes q no Risk detection q yes q no Statistics processing q yes q no Drawing up safety plans q yes q no Planning interventions q yes q no Type of data treated Employee job description associated with q yes q no machines, materials, equipment, PPE Injuries q yes q no Medications q yes q no Near misses q yes q no Illnesses q yes q no Characteristics of the work environment q yes q no Planning interventions: Schedule for the planned q yes q no Schedule in which all the compliance measures deadlines for the Schedule for equipment q yes q no enterprise are recorded and installation maintenance (divided by type, sector Schedule for periodic q yes q no and period) safety training meetings Inspection schedule of safety-related activities q yes q no Cost estimate Direct costs (such as damage to q yes q no machinery and equipment following an accident and hospital costs for the victim) Indirect costs (such as costs relating to q yes q no time lost as a result of the accident and activities associated with the accident) Section C PROBLEMS IN SAFETY MANAGEMENT 7) What difficulties are encountered in safety management? (max 3 answers) q poor familiarity with standards q problems with the legislation and inspection activities (inspection activities by supervisory agencies) q safety management is very costly for the enterprise q safety training of personnel is deficient q lack of financial resources to improve safety q deficient safety management operational tools and procedures q technological constraints owing to the type of production and machines used q no particular safety management problems q other (specify) Perception of safety issues and investments in safety management in small-sized and medium-sized enterprises: a survey in the Lecco area 15

16 8) What are the main problems regarding the current safety legislation? (several answers allowed) q financial difficulties in promoting information and training activities q legislative provisions fail to precisely define the operational procedures of safety management q the legislative provisions are excessive with respect to the situation of the enterprise. q the applicable norms are perceived as a source of obligations rather than of benefits q other (specify) 9) Are non-national and/or non-eu personnel operating in your enterprise? If YES, indicate: the number of non-national workers: the number of non-eu workers: Do you believe that the non-national and/or non-eu personnel have experienced difficulties in learning work tasks? q Yes q No If YES, please quantify the difficulty experienced in the familiarization with safety measures (indicate a percentage from 0 to 100) 10)In your opinion, which of the following problems do you have in relation to safety? (several answers allowed) q difficulty in planning interventions due to the lack of formalized management tools and procedures q inadequate inspection systems to verify that safety standards are properly observed q inadequate work procedures q lack of incentives to sustain proper safety prevention and training activities q deficient familiarity with personal protective equipment q difficulty in planning interventions due to the lack of competence in the area of safety q poorly-distributed tasks and responsibilities q other (specify) 11) How has the situation of accidents changed in the enterprise over the last three years? (one answer only) q It has worsened considerably q it has worsened slightly q the accident situation remains unchanged q it has slightly improved q it has improved considerably In addition, please specify if possible, in relation to the past year: the number of accidents involving absence from work of less than 3 working days: [accidents/year] the number of accidents involving absence from work of more than 3 working days: [accidents/year] 12) What are the main safety interventions promoted by the enterprise over the last 3 years? (max 3 answers) q training and information of workers on safety themes q upgrading of installations in compliance with safety standards q modification of organizational procedures, in particular of obligations and responsibilities 16

17 q shifting from internal to external safety management q shifting from external to internal safety management q modification of operational safety procedures q adoption of new guidelines, in compliance with current norms, which are better suited to the needs of a small- and medium-sized enterprise q introduction of safer production technologies and/or personal protective equipment q no particular safety interventions have been carried out q other (specify): 13) Which of the following safety issues does the enterprise believe it must address and improve? (max 3 answers) q information and training activities for personnel q shifting to external safety management q shifting to internal safety management q upgrading for compliance or replacement of production equipment q adoption of guidelines and good practices in compliance with current standards q modification of operational procedures and safety activities which are more suitable to the needs of the enterprise q modification of the organizational structure according to safety standards q Improvement of procedures and methods for the gathering, systematic analysis and reporting of data q there are no major safety issues requiring interventions q other (specify) Perception of safety issues and investments in safety management in small-sized and medium-sized enterprises: a survey in the Lecco area 17

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