OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY CULTURE IN SERBIA: A SEVEN-DIMENSION ASSESSMENT

Abstract

Occupational health and safety (OHS) culture is central to decent work (Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8.8) and a key lever of organisational resilience. This paper assesses OHS culture in Serbia using a cross-sectional survey structured around seven dimensions: vision, credibility, collaboration, feedback and recognition, responsibility, communication, and action orientation. Responses are summarised at dimension levels and interpreted against a desired, improvement-oriented state embedded in the instrument. The analysis highlights uneven maturity across dimensions and identifies concrete opportunities to strengthen day-to-day safety practices and learning routines. In light of these gaps, a prioritised improvement pathway for organisations is proposed: (i) making leadership commitment visible and credible; (ii) institutionalising joint problem-solving and open communication; (iii) systematising feedback and recognition to reinforce desired behaviours; and (iv) introducing a set of leading indicators to guide continuous improvement. The study provides a multi-dimensional baseline for Serbia and a clear set of actionable pathways for practitioners and policymakers seeking to enhance workplace well-being and resilience while advancing the decent-work agenda