Revisiting Complaints Regarding Occupational Health and Safety: The Impact of Time and Economic Conditions


Published: Apr 13, 2016
Keywords:
Health and safety labour inspectorate complaints logit model
Konstantinos Mekos
Abstract

This paper re-examines the matter of
complaints regarding occupational health and
safety in the area of Thessaloniki, originally
dealt with in a 2009 paper. In this paper we
examine (a) the validity of the conclusions
derived in the 2009 paper as well as the
effect of time on them and (b) the effect of
the economic conditions on the complaints
received and the penalties imposed by the
office in charge. The main conclusions of the
2009 paper are still valid: complaints do not
lead to the detection of the most dangerous
workplaces and no priority should be given
to their investigation. Furthermore, as the
income per head declines or as the number of
unemployed people rises, the complaints are
more likely to be characterised as “irrelevant”.
On the other hand, the economic conditions
do not seem to have any effect on the decision
of the office in charge to impose sanctions.

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