Occupational health and safety in organizations. Applying Amartya Sen's Capability Approach and Organizational Climate in analysis and prevention

In this paper we introduce the Capability Approach School, as a new possible tool in Organization Studies. Using the Human Development and Capability Approach we face the health and safety at work issue. We consider as a capability the worker’s attitude to protect himself understanding safety procedures and risk and the freedom to require the organization to respect the law and to implement safe work processes. This capability is activated by functionings which are autonomy, freedom, well-being at work, organizational equity, labour rights and worker’s consciousness The hypothesis is that the safety conditions and hence risk at work are strongly influenced by worker’s capabilities. The participation of workers, their freedom, training and autonomy are useful to ensure that safety standards are understood, respected, and anticipated by workers if necessary? The paper, starting from a brief analysis of statistics on occupational safety at Italian and European level, describes the different perspectives of study and intervention in the field. In particular it focuses on the concept of organizational wellbeing. A short comment on the evolution of the European and Italian labour safety law is offered. Given the importance of institutions in safety and health issues, and explained the relevance of the organizational level to lower risks and to promote well-being, we introduce and discuss the organizational climate as a mediator between the institutional and organizational level in influencing a safe attitude and behaviour of worker. In order to study the link between safety capability, climate and workers’ attitudes with safety issues, we used a questionnaire among a sample of 260 workers and members of workers’ co-operatives in Rome Province. The questionnaire, specially designed and tested, is derived from a climate questionnaire but incorporates item of functionings and capabilities. We analyzed the correlation between functionings and safety capability, after an exploratory factor analysis. The data testing suggests the existence of a link between dimensions reflecting Capability Approach and organizational climate variables. It is supported the usefulness of a multidisciplinary approach to the study of the issue of safety at work that refers to organizational climate, freedom and capabilities. Policy consequences are also drafted.