Beyond efficacy in the evaluation of Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems (OHSMS): a perspective based on efficiency analysis

Abstract

Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems (OHSMS) play a fundamental role within organizations. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO, 2020), despite greater attention to the issue by governments and companies, the quantity of work-related accidents and illnesses, as well as their respective economic impact, remain significant. Technical, behavioral, and economic aspects are affected by the performance of these systems and, consequently, the general result of organizations. In this context, the performance evaluation of the OHSMS represents an important mechanism for reviewing the implemented measures concerning the results obtained. However, this field of study has been neglected as conceptual divergences are frequently observed in the proposed assessment instruments, compromising the quality of the analysis of the results. Furthermore, organizations evaluate the performance of the OHSMS predominantly through its efficacy (i.e. achievement of objectives previously defined), without taking into account the resources used, and without evaluating the impact of each initiative concerning the results obtained. Therefore, we defend the thesis that the performance of OHSMS should be complementarily evaluated through the analysis of efficiency, and that the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) can contribute to this objective. This research follows the paper-based thesis (PBT) model and has as its primary objective the evaluation of the efficiency of Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems (OHSMS) using DEA. The study contributes to filling theoretical gaps about the conceptual accuracy of performance measures used in the OHSMS literature, proposing a conceptual basis for this field of study. In addition, the proposed model directly contributes to greater assertiveness in decision-making by organizations, by aggregating the technical efficiency and the efficacy on the evaluation of the OHSMS. The main limitations of the study are the lack of application of the model in external benchmarking and the fact that the data used come from a single case.