Cultural Influences on Health and Safety Attitudes and Behaviour in Small Businesses

This report details the findings of a study which sought to identify the role of cultural influences on health and safety attitudes and behaviour in small and micro-enterprises and related issues concerning channels of communication and the role of the Health and Safety Executive.

The main cultural influence on health and safety attitudes and behaviour in small businesses was found to be the organizational culture that typifies many such enterprises, reflecting less formal approaches to management, the preference of owner/managers for autonomy and the closeness of employer/employee relations in small businesses. With regard to some ethnic minority businesses (EMBs), ethnic background can be an important second order influence in some cases.

Other influences identified relate to previous management experience, educational/skill levels, and gender.

All these influences, however, need to be understood in the context of the resource constraints faced by small businesses and the key role of a number of external influences.

With regard to authoritative and credible channels of communication by which health and safety messages can be disseminated, it is concluded that health and safety inspectors themselves are currently the most commonly used and preferred sources of information and advice for most small businesses. As far as other conduits are concerned, in some areas and in some communities, ethnic minority intermediaries can help the dissemination process with EMBs, provided that resources are made available to facilitate this.

Sector based associations appear to have greater potential for more widespread influence with such enterprises, although to achieve this these organisations will need to become more inclusive in terms of ethnic diversity and the size range of businesses making up their membership.