OSH Practices and Interventions in Small Businesses: Global Issues in the Quebec Context

Abstract In this paper, occupational safety and health in small businesses is considered from the standpoint of relations between small business employers, workers and occupational safety and health practitioners. Quebec practitioners note that occupational safety and health risks are significant and not as well controlled in small businesses, and that this situation is not formally recognised in the occupational safety and health system. While small business employers and workers complain about not receiving the appropriate support to comply with occupational safety and health requirements, practitioners describe the difficulties that they encounter during their interventions. The results show that the Quebec public occupational safety and health system has been developed without taking the capacities of small businesses into account. The results also identify global issues in the Quebec occupational safety and health system and their specific effects in small businesses.