Management of health and safety in micro companies in Cyprus: Results on ergonomic issues

BACKGROUND: Ergonomics in Cyprus is a rather neglected area of safety. The size of the country, the lack of scientific expertise, the nature of the economy and the nature of the majority of the enterprises make it a case, different from the average. OBJECTIVE: The aims of the survey were to examine the views and perceptions of employees and owners/managers on safety issues of micro-firms in Cyprus, to collect information on accidents and other aspects of safety performance in micro-firms and to cross-check the above data with data collected from safety inspectors for the above firms. METHODS: The authors with the collaboration of the Department of Labour Inspection of the Republic of Cyprus collected information from a relatively large number of micro companies in a National survey. Information from employees, employers and labour inspectors was drawn. RESULTS: Particular emphasis is paid on the exploration of the relationship of the non-use of personal protection equipment with a number of factors. Results show the resistance of employees to the use of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and GPM (General Protective Measures). CONCLUSIONS: The results of the survey are in line with the relevant literature. Micro firms illustrate several interesting findings that are discussed in detail in the paper.