Complementarities between Operations and Occupational Health and Safety in Garments

Miguel Malek Maalouf, Peter Hasle, Jan Vang and Abu Hamja
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Miguel Malek Maalouf: Department of Technology and Innovation, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense, Denmark
Peter Hasle: Department of Technology and Innovation, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense, Denmark
Jan Vang: Department of Technology and Innovation, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense, Denmark
Abu Hamja: Department of Materials and Production, Aalborg University, 2450 Copenhagen, Denmark

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 8, 1-20

Abstract: There is an ongoing debate in the extant literature regarding whether the relationship between occupational health and safety (OHS) and operational practices is contradictory or complementary. However, previous research has focused on companies situated in developed and highly industrialized countries. We contribute to the debate by investigating the relationship between OHS and operational practices in 50 selected garment factories in the context of a developing country (Bangladesh). We investigated OHS and operational practices in a developing country because the institutional context and the industrial tradition are different from those in developed countries, and these factors are very likely to influence how companies invest in enhancing work conditions and improving operational practices. Indeed, the main contribution of this study is that, in contrast to findings from developed countries, our results indicate that both the maturity levels of OHS and operational practices and the complementarity between them depended on plant size. In particular, large plants had higher levels of maturity and were more likely to perform well in both OHS and operational practices than small and medium plants. Based on these findings, we emphasize that, to enhance work conditions and remain competitive, small and medium companies must embrace multi-stakeholder initiatives involving international buyers, local government, and international labor. Organizations can contribute to building the capabilities of suppliers and balance the pressure of cost reduction with investment in OHS improvement.

Keywords: occupational health and safety; lean; Bangladesh; sustainable operations (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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