Price or safety – Exploring the role of supply chain certifications and audits for SMEs’ health and safety management

AbstractIn the modern globalised world, occupational safety and health (OSH) is increasingly influenced by supply chain requirements and practices, such as certifications and audits. Yet, safety research is mainly aimed at OSH certifications, e.g. ISO 45001, while little attention is paid to other voluntary certification standards or supply chain practices, i.e. buyers’ audits that seek to influence suppliers’ operations, including OSH. This paper examines how a large retailer and its small fruit and vegetable suppliers navigate supply chain requirements and how these affect the suppliers’ OSH management. The analysis reveals that supply chain certifications and the subsequent audits have a positive impact on OSH management and allow small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to make a systematic assessment of their OSH management. Nevertheless, the quality of audits varies, and buyers cannot depend solely on audits to secure compliance with Codes of Conduct (CoC). Furthermore, buyers risk a decoupling between their procurement and CSR departments.