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Show you the money – firms investing in worker safety have better financial performance: insights from a mapping review

Saymon Ricardo de Oliveira Sousa, Cristiane Melchior, Wesley Vieira Da Silva, Roselaine Ruviaro Zanini, Zhaohui Su, Claudimar Pereira da Veiga

International Journal of Workplace Health Management

ISSN: 1753-8351

Article publication date: 11 May 2021

Issue publication date: 22 June 2021

395

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to (1) investigate the association between companies' investment in occupational safety and their financial performance and (2) discuss the importance of occupational safety to overall performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Occupational safety is often considered to be a practice that can yield suboptimal return on investment. However, it is not known whether this belief is substantiated by evidence. A mapping review of the eligible research literature (N = 36) regarding firms' investment in occupational safety and their financial performance, published between 1945 and2018, was carried out in the Web of Science database.

Findings

By dispelling myths regarding return on investment associated with occupational safety, the findings of this study underscore financial gains firms can obtain by promoting occupational safety measures in their organizations.

Originality/value

These issues are important because they can help policymakers understand the pressures companies face in terms of occupational safety and financial performance sustainability.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the editor and the anonymous reviewers for the excellent suggestions. Receive the authors’ sincere thanks.

Citation

Sousa, S.R.d.O., Melchior, C., Da Silva, W.V., Zanini, R.R., Su, Z. and da Veiga, C.P. (2021), "Show you the money – firms investing in worker safety have better financial performance: insights from a mapping review", International Journal of Workplace Health Management, Vol. 14 No. 3, pp. 310-331. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJWHM-11-2020-0200

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited

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