Safety in hard times - A qualitative analysis of safety concerns in two industrial plants under financial duress

A purposive critical case study of two heavy industrial plants was conducted to identify and discuss safety issues faced by companies under financial duress. Access to these companies presented a rare opportunity for study: one plant had announced definite closure while the other was under threat of closure. Both companies were facing significant redundancies. Interviews with senior staff members accountable for safety outcomes sought to answer three questions relating to lean management, redundancies, and hierarchy of control methodology in times of financial duress. An inductive analysis compared respondents' comments with peer-reviewed literature and identified commonalities, differences and concerns. Four recommendations are made for companies facing similar financial duress. These recommendations include (i) an emphasis on use of the hierarchy of controls for hazard mitigation, (ii) the influence of lean management, (iii) prioritisation of injury classification, and (iv) the importance of external audits.