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Too much pressure? Retailer power and occupational health and safety in the food processing industry

Author

Listed:
  • Caroline Lloyd

    (Cardiff University, lloydc4@cf.ac.uk)

  • Susan James

    (University of Oxford, susan.james@education.oxford.ac.uk)

Abstract

This article examines the impact of supply chain pressures on the UK food processing industry and the implications for occupational health and safety. Based upon case studies in three meat processing plants, the research found that although the number of accidents is declining, little progress has been made in dealing with the widespread ill-health problems associated with largely repetitive and, in some cases, heavy work regimes. Supermarkets play a contradictory role in that they provide incentives to improve health and safety while at the same time their price and delivery demands have a detrimental impact. Despite these intense supply chain pressures, there is some room for `manoeuvrability' in that both employers and workplace trade unions can make a difference to health and safety outcomes.

Suggested Citation

  • Caroline Lloyd & Susan James, 2008. "Too much pressure? Retailer power and occupational health and safety in the food processing industry," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 22(4), pages 713-730, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:22:y:2008:i:4:p:713-730
    DOI: 10.1177/0950017008098366
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Mick Marchington & Steven Vincent, 2004. "Analysing the Influence of Institutional, Organizational and Interpersonal Forces in Shaping Inter‐Organizational Relations," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(6), pages 1029-1056, September.
    2. John Forth, 2001. "The low-paid worker and the low-paying employer: characterisations using WERS98," National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) Discussion Papers 179, National Institute of Economic and Social Research.
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    Cited by:

    1. Mauricio Johnny Loos & Eugenio Merino & Carlos Manuel Taboada Rodriguez, 2016. "Mapping the state of the art of ergonomics within logistics," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 109(1), pages 85-101, October.
    2. Christian Fieseler & Eliane Bucher & Christian Pieter Hoffmann, 2019. "Unfairness by Design? The Perceived Fairness of Digital Labor on Crowdworking Platforms," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 156(4), pages 987-1005, June.
    3. Chris F. Wright, 2016. "Leveraging Reputational Risk: Sustainable Sourcing Campaigns for Improving Labour Standards in Production Networks," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 137(1), pages 195-210, August.

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