Negotiating Risk: Social and Organizational Factors Shaping Industrial Hygiene Practices

Abstract

This paper discusses the ways in which societal and organizational forces have influenced the practice of industrial hygiene in the modern working contexts. Its qualitative methodology is meta-synthesis, and the number of articles of the empirical studies relevant to it and included in the databases, that is, Frontiers in Public Health, BMC Nursing, Safety, Research Society and Development, and Buildings, is fourteen. The analysis is based on the impact of organizational culture, style of leadership, workplace communication climate, and control environment on the performance of hygiene and workplace negotiation of risks. The results have revealed that the workable application of industrial hygiene is not only a technical obligation that demands compliance with regulations but also cultural values concerning security. These leadership behaviors are participatory and transformational, and open two-way communication systems that allow trust and shared responsibility. Conversely, hierarchical, work-based, and compliance-based systems contribute to decreasing hazard reporting, eroding engagement, and hindering the effectiveness of safety programs over time. This paper describes the conceptual framework according to which the social dynamics mediate the results of hygiene and states that the process of risk management is a negotiated and relational phenomenon, but not a technical one. The research proposes the incorporation of collaborative leadership, supportive communication frameworks, and the comprehensive safety values rooted in effective health protection and sustainability of workplaces.