Occupational Safety and Health (OSH): A TQM and Quality of Work Life Approach

Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) in the workplace is not only a strategic priority in terms of moral or social responsibility, it is also an obligation regulated and governed by law. A well-designed manufacturing process (the operations system) must be both productive and safe, without potential physical, emotional and mental health risks. OSH management has become a very complex multi-functional science within operations management and total quality management (TQM). It focuses on a non-legalistic approach whereby the organisational culture fosters spontaneous OSH and a high quality of work life. This is done by using a TQM approach, based on a functional TQM model.