Boustras, Georgios

Occupational Safety is a multidisciplinary activity focused on the prevention of accidents in the working environment as well as on the well-being of employed populations. Since Small and Medium Enterprises are players in the European Union, there is an immediate need to investigate how Micro-SMEs are standing with regards to several safety issues of their companies. In this research project, the focus is on the safe management, use and storage of chemicals in the micro company. The roles of the employees and of the owner/manager of the micro enterprises is being investigated in terms of the safety issues arising for these companies. Our main target was to collect and compare data from three EU Member States that are based in the Eastern Europe and their economies rely largely on SMEs and Micro firms. Specifically, a questionnaire has been delivered on a nationwide survey in Cyprus, Greece and Romania. Analysis revealed that there are some distinct differences between the three countries, which can be explained partly due to the character of their economies. Furthermore, we witness how employees are feeling in the company environment in vital issues such as health and safety training, appropriate management of chemicals, availability of relevant Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) against any chemical hazards in the company's environment.