Applying the capability approach at organisational level

In this paper we propose to use the Capability Approach, first developed by Amartya Sen, in analysing occupational health and safety related behaviours. Considering that accidents at work are more frequent among atypical workers and migrants we decided to use this theoretical framework to show how freedoms, rights, organisational climate and individual capabilities are important in risk prevention. From this perspective, workers’ participation or workers’ membership within Co-operatives should provide a safer environment. The paper, while chiefly theoretical, includes a test empirical study among Italian co-operatives. Safety and well-being conditions are a major source of inequality. The Capability Approach could provide a tool to measure organisational inequality and this could help to improve occupational health and safety chiefly among atypical workers. We consider as a Safety Capability the workers attitude to their own protection, understanding safety procedures and the risk they face, and the freedom to ask the organization to comply with law and implement safe work processes. A factor analysis and a regression show that Safety Capability is activated by functionings such as autonomy, trade union rights, well-being at work, organizational equity, labour rights and workers’ safety awareness. Policy implications, in the perspective of workers’ participation and economic democracy, are drafted with regard to safety at work.