Key Points:

• The key social actors associated with occupational safety and health include management, labor, government, non-governmental organizations, and OSH professionals. The relationships and interactions among these social actors will determine how safety and health issues will be addressed within the workplace.
• Collective bargaining agreements typically include a number of safety and health clauses.
• Common clauses within a collective bargaining agreement include the employer's general duty to protect, safety committee protocol, training provisions, conditions for refusing hazardous work, and whistleblower protection.
• Several professions exist within the OSH field including safety professionals, industrial hygienists, environmental professionals, occupational physicians, and occupational nurses. Each of these professionals has specific roles and responsibilities pertaining to workplace safety and health.
• OSH professionals work in a "staff" capacity. They will ideally serve in an advisory role to "line" management. Although OSH professionals are normally granted "functional authority," line management is ultimately responsible for workplace safety and health.
• Occupational safety and health can be managed in a manner similar to many other organizational functions.
• Occupational safety and health is most effectively managed using a systematic approach based upon management commitment, employee involvement, hazard identification, hazard control, and training.