Worker participation - Sweden

Introduction

Sweden has almost 9.5 million inhabitants and some 4.5 million workers. It is a highly industrialised country, with a long tradition in worker participation and a high rate of trade union membership.Based on the Work Environment Act [1], the Swedish authority has requested employers to introduce a work environment management system (Systematiskt ArbetsMiljöarbete, SAM). The aim is to get employers to address the area of the working environment in a systematic and planned way [2]. The Swedish OSH system is described in detail at: OSH system at national level - Sweden. Worker participation is possible at several levels.Sweden has a very interesting and unique…