Determinants of effective action on workplace safety and health in global companies — The case of global network container terminal operators

Container terminals are critical nodes in the globalisation of trade. Many are operated by global companies with strong corporate rhetoric espousing zero tolerance of injury and ill-health. Yet operational practices often contribute to the intensification of work and outsourcing of labour; conditions associated with poor safety and health. Serious and fatal injuries and ill-health continue to occur in these terminals. With reference to the findings of a study of occupational safety and health (OSH) arrangements in terminals operated by four of the largest operators, key contextual determinants in the terminals’ labour relations and regulatory environments that influence practice and outcomes are identified. The influences are compared in different national settings and, the paper finds, like multinational companies generally, global operators are obliged to adapt and reflect local contexts. In relation to OSH best practice, a critical influence is the way that local context acts to constrain and challenge business logics and interests. This acts to make 'best practice' more likely where companies are constrained in this way, regardless of the claims of their corporate rhetoric. •Reliable evidence of the effects of work on the occupational safety and health (OSH) in container terminals is scarce.•The research identifies a significant gap between managers’ understandings of the operation of arrangements for OSH and the perceptions and experiences of workers.•This was especially evident for work-related ill-health, workers’ representation and consultation on OSH, and directly employed workers and those employed by contractors.•Differences were most marked in terminals in the low income country in the study.•The study explores what determines these differences,situating its exploration in relation to human resource management in multi-national companies and the determinants of regulatory compliance.