Anne Lise Kappel, Peter Hasle, Søren Voxted & Katharina Jeschke
Research knowledge on the management practice of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) in Greenlandic companies is limited. As a first study of work environment activities in Greenlandic companies, this article presents the results of a survey of OSH management practice in the private sector (>9 employees) in Greenland.
74% of Greenlandic companies indicate that they want to have a work environment better than required by legislation. However, compliance with OSH legislation is challenged as only 45% meet the requirements for the compulsory risk assessment. Additionally, 69% of the companies claim to have the compulsory safety organization, although only 38% have educated the safety organization as required. For small companies and the regions far away from the capital Nuuk, compliance is even lower. The results point to the specific challenges in Greenland, such as the large distance in the country, hampering the dissemination and enforcement of work environment regulation.
The difficulties for the Greenlandic companies in meeting the basic requirements from the work environment legislation creates a severe challenge for the society. The authorities and the social partners need to develop strategies to reach out to the private sector to secure a safe and healthy work environment. A better adaptation to the specific Arctic context in Greenland is highly pertinent.
