Supply Chain Safety Compliance and OSH Committees
In global supply chains, local manufacturing suppliers often neglect basic worker safety and health standards due to weak domestic regulatory enforcement and cost-cutting pressures. External buyer demands and third-party compliance audits force supplier firms to institutionalize workplace safety protocols.
Picture this
Think of an international sports league requiring all regional stadiums to pass strict safety inspections before hosting championship games. When global retail brands mandate that local suppliers create Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) committees and pass regular compliance audits, local factory managers are compelled to maintain safer facilities to keep their export contracts.
What the evidence says
Enforcing safety and health committees improved safety checklist performance by 0.23 standard deviations in Bangladeshi apparel suppliers, with improvements concentrated in well-managed firms with strong worker-manager communication.
- Who
- Human garment and apparel factory workers in supplier plants in Bangladesh and Myanmar exporting to European Union and United States markets.
- How
- Randomized Controlled Trial evaluating enforced safety committees alongside a quasi-experimental evaluation of export compliance audits.
What to do
Mandate the formation of joint worker-management Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) committees paired with required third-party compliance audits across supplier factories.
From the source
"In one study, multinational apparel firms enforced the creation of safety and health committees among their suppliers in Bangladesh, leading to better safety checklist performance by 0.23 standard deviations."
Workplace interventions to improve worker wellbeing.pdf