The current increase in subcontracting and outsourcing is a major structural change in corporate organisation. However, the impact of this phenomenon on health and safety is difficult to judge, given the lack of national statistics and the paucity of research into the link between subcontracting and safety.
This Cahier de la sécurité industrielle first presents a bibliographical analysis of three industrial concepts that are closely related but often studied separately: maintenance (characteristics and changes), subcontracting (types of outsourcing, reasons and limitations), safety (theoretical development and application in industry, the role of key influencers in the improving safety).
It then sets out to link these concepts. The few existing studies on subcontracting and its impact on subcontractor safety and working conditions are highly critical and thus controversial: does a reduction in the number of industrial accidents.
Objectives
To present an overview of the rich literature on subcontracting and address the poorly-documented links between the concepts of maintenance, subcontracting, and safety.
About the author
Since 2005, Dounia Tazi, who has a PhD in Chemical Engineering in Industrial Systems, has specialized in human and organisational factors and safety culture in major industrial groups and among their subcontractors. She is the Director of the ICSI Consultancy Team.