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Overview of Activities in the Field of Occupational Health and Safety during the COVID-19 Period Taken by Polish SMEs

Author

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  • Marcin Olkiewicz

    (Faculty of Economic Sciences, Koszalin University of Technology, 75-343 Koszalin, Poland)

Abstract

The safety of work, employees, and clients of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is important because it is significantly related to the proper functioning and development of the entity and determines the decision-making process. The purpose of this publication is to show what actions aimed at increasing the sense of occupational safety and health during the COVID-19 pandemic were undertaken by Polish SMEs from the central Pomeranian region. The analysis of the literature most often presents the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the actions of governments in the field of protecting the public but does not present analyses of activities strictly taken by entrepreneurs. A survey was addressed to 300 business entities, of which 195 took part, determining the effectiveness rate at the level of 65%. Unfortunately, research shows that as many as 56% of the surveyed entities were negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Organizations used a number of safeguards aimed at increasing the sense of occupational health and safety, e.g., by using gels or liquids for disinfecting hands and surfaces during working hours (77%); regular cleaning and disinfection of equipment and workstations (84%); and maintaining social distance (76%). The analysis of the collected data covering the year 2021 indicates that this study should be treated as a survey study. This provides an opportunity to expand the area and scope of research. The presented research results indicate that, depending on the type of activity, as well as legal epidemic restrictions, SMEs increased the safety of employees and customers in different ways and with different tools during the development of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Suggested Citation

  • Marcin Olkiewicz, 2023. "Overview of Activities in the Field of Occupational Health and Safety during the COVID-19 Period Taken by Polish SMEs," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(9), pages 1-11, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:9:p:5630-:d:1131967
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Hashmat Khan & Santosh Upadhayaya, 2020. "Does business confidence matter for investment?," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 59(4), pages 1633-1665, October.
    2. Simon Gilchrist & Egon Zakrajsek, 2012. "Credit Spreads and Business Cycle Fluctuations," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 102(4), pages 1692-1720, June.
    3. Giuseppe Parigi & Roberto Golinelli & Giorgio Bodo, 2000. "Forecasting industrial production in the Euro area," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 25(4), pages 541-561.
    4. Marcin Olkiewicz, 2018. "Quality improvement through foresight methodology as a direction to increase the effectiveness of an organization," Contemporary Economics, University of Economics and Human Sciences in Warsaw., vol. 12(1), March.
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