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A method for introduction of preventive working environment activities in small enterprises. 1997. Peter Hasle og Hans Jørgen Limborg ...
A method for introduction of preventive working environment activities in small enterprises 1997 Peter Hasle og Hans Jørgen Limborg

CASA

A method for introduction of preventive working environment activities in small enterprises 1997 Peter Hasle og Hans Jørgen Limborg

Center for Alternativ Samfundsanalyse

Centre for Alternative Social Analysis

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Linnésgade 25 • DK-1361 Copenhagen K. • Denmark

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Phone +45 33 32 05 55 • Telefax +45 33 33 05 54

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E-mail: [email protected] • Homepage: www.casa-analyse.dk

A method for introduction of preventive working environment activities in small enterprises Peter Hasle, PhD ([email protected]) Hans Jørgen Limborg, M.Sc. ([email protected]) Centre for Alternative Social Analysis (CASA)

Abstract The occupational health service (OHS) in Denmark has difficulties in providing services which small enterprises consider useful for them. A method has been developed in order to overcome this problem. The point of departure is the special characteristics of small enterpri ses. Especially the owners’ personal id entificati on in the enterp rise is considered important. The method is designed as an intervention programme consisting of introductory enterprise visits by the OHS staff, four workshops with owners and activities in the enterprises. It is based on a two-tier strategy. The first one emphasizes development of a trust-based dialogue between the working environm ent professionals (WE Ps) in this case OHS-consultants and the owners of small enterprises. Personal contact emphasising positive achievements and the relation betwee n the working environment and other management goals is found to be the most important tool. The second one focuses on introduction of preventive working environment activities in the enterprises. Exchange of experience among the owners is the most important element, supported by brief practical lectures given by the WEPs, checkl ists, exhibiti ons and other tool s. Four programmes were evaluated a nd in those, approx imately 25% of the invited e nterprises participated in the workshops and a number of immediate improvement s were carried out during the period of the workshops. In addition most of the participating enterprises commenced larger projects to improve the working environment in cooperation with the OHS after com pletion of the workshops. The owners participating in workshops expressed satisfaction with the programme and interest in a continued cooperation with the OHS. Implementation of the method requires development of new skills for the involved WEPs, but they found the experience from organi sing the programme rewarding and qualifying.

1. Introduction New strategies for the prevention of hazards from the working cond ition are currently being developed in many European countries (Walters, 1996). These strategies for regulation, control and improvement of the working conditions are often combining control with motivation and econom ic encouragem ent. It is generally recognized that special emphasis must be given to small and medium-sized enterprises (SME ). The large number of small enterprises constitutes a problem in itself as there are so many individual u nits to approach, and owners and managers of small enterprises are often not willing to accept outside assistance. Thus a traditional control strategy in the form of labour inspections meets ob stacles, and s imilarly prev entive activities in small enterprises performed by OHS have generally had a limited effec t (Hasle et al, 1992 and B ornberger-Dan kvardt, 1996). Experience from pilot projects in Sweden (Arbetsmiljöfonden, 1990) has indicated that traditional information activities such as information pamphlets, posters and meetings have little impact on small enterprises. However, the experience also indicates that it is possible to reach sm all enterprises w ith

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consultancy services, but it takes a long time and is costly to develop the necessary trust between the owners and m anagers (Antons son et al, 1989). Small enterprises ( less than 20 employees ) have been of serious concern for the Danish occupational health service. In D K it is required by law tha t all enterprises in the industry and certain other sectors much affiliate themselves to an OHS. Most of the OHS are organised as centres covering enterprises from different industries. The centres are, as the Danish industry in g eneral, dominated by sma ll enterprises with approximately 75% of the enterprises and 25% of the employees coming from enterprises with less than 20 employees (Danmarks Statistik, 199 5. Hasle e t al, 1992). T he resourc e for the O HS is based on a norm o f 1,3 hours per year pe r employ ee in the affiliated enterprises. It is thus difficult for the OHS to find time to solve problem s in small enterprises if the resourc es are cons idered for ea ch individual enterprises. Furthermore studies have pointed out that most small enterprises do not use the OHS services even though they are free of charge after payment of the membe rship fee (Arbejdstilsynet, 199 5. Hasle et al, 1992). This article is presenting the results from a project addressing the problem of the low utilization of the OHS among small enterprises with less than 20 employees. A more extensive presentation of th e project can be found in Limborg and Hasle, 1996.

2. Project Design The design of the me thodolog y is based o n the chara cteristic qualities o f small enterprises. Based on two studies (Beckerus and Roos, 1985. Persson, 1991) important characteristics can be ou tlined. In the v ery small enterprises covered by this project m ost owne rs will also be managers of the enterprises. The owners often develop a large part of their personality from the enterprise. Working life and family life are integrated and the enterprise gives a feeling of fulfilment/satisfaction in his or her life. Following the a bove the own ers will often be • action oriented (it is important to do something) • paternalistic in management (I decide and have the responsibility for my company and m y employees) • egocentric (the most important thing in this world is my company) On one hand the characteristics put constraints to the work of the WEP. The most important ones are that the ow ner easily w ill consider criticism of his enterprise as a personal criticism. It follows that the WEP easily will meet difficulties with the traditional problem-oriented approach of asking for and identifying working environment problems. The owner will understand problems as a criticism o f him for n ot solving the problem . The ow ner will also have d ifficulties in taking in advice from outsiders. Their way of giving advice will often be rega rded as a 'know a ll attitude'. On the other hand it also opens possibilities. If the o wner pu ts priority to a working environment problem he is also likely to take action right away and 2

solve the problem. He will also often take serious concern in his employees and try to find a solution if they have a health problem, and if the owner develops confidenc e with a consultant he or she will have good possibilities for influencing activities in the enterprise. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has developed a methodology for approaching small enterprises in developing countries. It is called WISE: 'Workplace improvements in small enterprises' (Thurman et al, 1988). It has proved to be efficient in a numb er of develo ping coun tries especially in Asia (Kogi, 1991). The methodology builds on a sequence of workshops based on the followin g principles: • build on local practise • focus on p ositive achiev ements • link work ing conditio ns with oth er manag ement g oals • use learning-by-doing • encourage exch ange of experience between ow ners • promotion of workers’ involvement Based on the above findings a model for development of collaboration between the OHS and the small enterprises have bee n developed (fig. 1). It distinguishes between two phases in the development of collaboration between the OH S and the s mall enterprises. In the first phase the aim is to establish a mutual trust between the owner and the WEP. This is a precondition for taking any further steps. The constitution of trust is based on developm ent of a dialogue. It emphasises the owner’s own company looked upon from a positive point of view. The second phase is aimed at introduction and subsequent implementation of working environment improvem ents. Figure 1: A model of the possibilities for improvement of the collaboration between small enterprises and the OHS

Establishment of a dialogue

No contact between OHS and small enterprises

Means:

C emphasis on own experience C focus on positive achievements C integration with other management goals

C personal contact

C C C C C

Improvement of the working environment

Means: workshops exchange of experience visits to enterprises OHS consultancy services check lists

The two-phased model was transformed into an intervention program me with eight steps.

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Figure 2: A model for the intervention programme for small enterprises

1. Visits to enterprises

• written invitation to 40-50 enterprises which are paid visits • recruitment of 10-20 enterprises for workshops • duration approximately four weeks

2. Initial workshops about possibilities for improvements

• two late afternoon/early evening workshops • the programme tailored to the specific target group • first workshop about practical working environment improvements • second workshop takes place in a participating enterprise with mapping of the working environment

3. Intermediate period I

• owners identify possible improvements • WEP from OHS assist as resource persons • duration approximately four weeks

4. Workshops about implementation of improvements

• one late afternoon/early evening workshop • group work about planning of improvement projects

5. Intermediate period II

• owners plan and commence implementation of improvements • WEPs assist as resource persons • duration approximately four weeks

6. Exchange of experience about implementation of improvements

• one late afternoon/early evening seminars • group work with exchange of experience between owners

7. Implementation of improvements

• owners implement improvements • WEPs assist as resource persons

8. Follow up workshops

• as required organisation of follow-up workshops

Development of the methodolog y and two pilot prog rammes w ere carried out jointly be researchers from CASA and staff from Greater Copenhagen OHSCentre and Sundby OHS-C entre centres in 1993. Subsequently, four programmes were implem ented in 1994-95 b y the OHS s taff, whereas the researche rs were responsible for evaluation of the methodology. Each of the two participating OHS centres implemented two programmes which covered construction, engineering, and printing industries. The following types of data material for the evaluation were collected: • observation of owners and WE Ps at workshops; • information of implem ented or pla nned im provem ents collected by WEPS; • on-site interviews with the participating owners about their evaluation of the programme and their attitude towards the working environment and the OHS; • telephone interviews with owners who did not participate the programme about reason for not participation and their attitude towards the OHS; • interviews with the WEP about their experience with the programme; and • registration of the WEP time consumption. 4

In order to avoid intervention in the process between the owners and the WEPs the possibility of making a systematic assessment of the working environment before and after the programmes was excluded.

3. Results The introductory visits were con sidered as the key to the SM Es. The WEP focused on establishing a dialogue by asking positive questions about the achievem ents of the enterprises and showing interest in the owner as a person. Direct questions about working environment problems and a “sale attitude” towards participation in the programme were strictly avoided. Most of the WEP experienced the po sitive attitude as difficult - compared to their trad itional way of performing - bu t very rewarding. The y experienced that ow ners often approached them with a negative attitude with indications of the uselessness of the OHS and their lack of time, and in the end they took an interest in the programme and talked with the WEP for one or two hours. Interviews of participating owners indicated that they valued the visit and the attitude of the WEP. Telephone interviews with nonparticipating owners gave the same res ult, and they explained that time constraint was the most important reason for not participating and that they were interested in getting a new offer at a later time, hoping that they then would be able to participate. Table 1 is presenting the number of v isited and participating enterprises. A little more tha n 20% refused to receive a visit or it turned o ut to be im possible to organise it. About 40% of the enterprises indicated tha t they wan ted to participate in the programme, but in the end only 22% actually showed up. The reason for the absence was quite often the special situation of the owner being responsible for everything in the enterprise. Present priorities such as production difficulties or an enquiry from an important custom er just before a workshop would prevent participation.

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Table 1. Number of visited and participation enterprises

Greater Copenhagen OHS-centre

Sundby OHS-centre Total

% of total

Construction industry

Printing industry

Engineering industry

Printing industry

Written invitation

75

55

66

68

264

Received visits

50

45

55

53

203

77

Positive response

22

22

20

38

102

39

Participated in workshops

15

13

10

19

57

22

The initial workshops were organized on two subsequent days. They started 4 or 4.30 pm which g ave the ow ner the poss ibility to attend to the duties at the enterprise during normal working hours. The first one took place in the OHScentre. A programme was tailored to the participating enterprises. It included brief introductions of 10-15 minutes to selected possibilities for impro vemen ts using examples from the enterprises. After each topic, time w as allocated to exchange of experience. In addition a small exhibition of various kinds of preventive equipment suc h as lifting gear, ergonom ically design ed tools, ad justable chairs and tables, local exhaustion vents and personal protective equipment was organised. The technical topics were im portant for the owners’ decision to participate, but in practise they quickly felt bored by lectures from the WEP. They were therefore kept very brief and practical oriented with examples from their own enterprises, and the WEP tried to involve the owners in exchange of experience about the topics. Ho wever, it was in sev eral cases diffic ult for the W EP to keep the short tim e limit. The y felt that longer time was needed to give a proper presentation with the result that the ow ners did not get much c hance to exchange experience. This problem was seriously discussed by the WEP and it seems as considerable experience is needed for the WEP to find the right form to make brief presentations and promote exchange of experience. The exhibition worked well as an o pportunity for informal talks between the owners and w ith the WEP. The second work shop took place in on e of the participating enterprises. A checklist was presented to owne rs for identificatio n of possib le improvements. After a brief introduction by the own er of the visited enterprise, th e participants walked through the enterprises looking for possibilities for improvements as well as existing good examples. The result was discussed with the owner. The workshop was complete d with an introduction by a WEP to the 6

relations between improvement of the working environment and the economy in terms of possibilities for an increase in productivity or cost reductions. The move from the OHS-centre to an enterprise, where the ow ners felt more at home, w as an important prom oter for their active involvemen t. Several versions of checklists w ere tested starting with comprehensive ones and ending with a very simple version with only a few open-ended questions. That version worked well as a didactic too l during the w orkshops , but it was not later used by the owners in their own enterprises as originally intended. In general it proved to be difficult for the owners to use che cklists. They were obviously not accustomed to working with this kind of written forms and w ere more inclined to kee p results in a vocal form. The economic issue seemed to have an important function of removing the prejudice among the owners that the OHS staff was not concerned about the economy of the enterprises. But it was at the same time difficult to convince the owners that economic benefits could be achieved from inve stments in the working environm ent. The intermediate periods were supposed for activities in the enterprises. It did not work quite that way in practise. If one of the owners picked an idea from one the initial workshops about a certain improvement such as buying a lifting cart or a new kind of tool that idea was carried out right away, but they did not feel like doing a more systematic analysis of their enterprise s, and if they did, they would ask the OHS for assistance rather than doing it them selves. However, the OHS staff used the periods to contact the owners and collect concrete examples for use at the following work shops. The examples w ere illustrated by video or slides. The examples covered already implemented improve ments such as the ones mentioned above and plans for impro vemen ts not yet implemented. The distinction between the third and th e fourth workshop disappeared as the systematic tasks for the intermediate periods were not carried out as planned. The program mes were the refore rather alike although the third workshop was used for introduction of a checklist for purchase of new equipm ent. Except for this topic both w orkshops were focused on the ow ners exchange of experience about the activities taking place in their own enterprises. The WEP only had the function as facilitators. During the third workshop the owners started to develop a group identity. They spoke out quite freely about conditions in each others enterprises and listened seriou sly to advice from their colleagues . This effect w as strengthe ned in two of the four programmes in which the third and the fourth worksho ps were also organised in one of the participating enterp rises. In these cases the workshops started with a walk through and discussion of the host enterprise followed by discussions of projects in the other enterprises. After the four workshops the formal programme originally presented to the owners was com pleted and a continuation of the activities was optional. In most of the participating enterprises the OHS-centres made agreements about consultancy jobs before the end of the fourth workshop. The WEP a lso promoted continuation of wo rkshops in order to maintain the group and 7

exchange experience about the planned activities with the OHS-centres. In two of the four programmes the owners chose to continue worksh ops alternate ly in each others enterprise. The WEP continued as facilitators responsible for the practical arrangements. The owners’ experience from participation in the programmes was generally good. Beforehand many of them had prejudices against the OHS because they felt that they had paid without h aving any benefits from the forced membe rship. After participation in the program me they had m ore confidence in the OHS. A few qu otations from the interviews can illustrate this develop ment: "Those were incredible good meetings which I w as very ha ppy to participate in. I have not used the OHS since, but it is certain that I call them when I run into that type of problem again." (Bricklaying company, 18 emp) "I have recognized that the OHS is a service for the companies. It is actually new to me. It w as good le ctures. I wo uld like to partic ipate in more meetings if the topics are relevant for me" (Printing company, 4 emp) Often the new trust was attached to a certain WEP, n ormally the one who paid the initial v isit: "NN who was here and whom I have used since. He is outspoken and dynamic, he understan ds our pro blems an d has self-co nfidence. I will certainly use him . In fact I have in vited him to the meeting with the environmental authorities." (Printing company, 9 emp) In the interviews the owners stressed the importance of the exchange of experience: "Many topics were covered, what I really liked was that one could ask about somethin g - and it was not only the OHS-staff - it was also the other participants. Usually so meone had a solutio n or a simila r problem." (Engineering company, 20 emp) As mentioned ab ove a num ber of smaller improvements of the working environment was carried out during the programme. In addition it turned out that most of the participating enterprises after the third or fourth workshop made agreem ents with the OHS about larger projects to be carried out in their enterprises (table 2). Number of enterprises

Number of employees

Construction industry, Greater Copenhagen OHS

9

89

Printing industry, Greater Copenhagen OHS

10

72

Engineering industry, Sundby OHS

9

125

Printing Industry, Sundby OHS

9

79

Total

37

365

Table 2. Enterprises with OHS-projects after completion of programmes

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Examples of the projects are: • general workplace assessment • ergonomic design of work stations • measurement of noise and planning of noise abatement • improvement of the psychological working environment • purchase of new equipment • design of new buildings The implem entation of th ese projects was based on the confidence developed during the worksh ops. It was now much easier for the WEP to discuss problems in the enterprises w ith the owners. "Sudden ly I saw the company with her eyes. She said: 'Here is very poor house keepin g', with a great smile and she was right. We have since then used 400 .000 DK K for reno vation." (M etal foundry , 6 empl) It has not be en possible to evaluate th e outcom e of these pr ojects as the m ain part of them were still going on when this project was ended. Looking at the OHS resources used for organising the programmes, altogether 264 companies with 1,587 employees were invited to participate. With a yearly allocation of 1.3 hours per employee, they were altogether allocated 2,063 consultancy hours. The WEP used 2,182 hours for the programmes. That figure is also including the time used for the project such as development of the method ology and interviews with researchers. It is thus considered that experienced staff can use th e metho dology w ith 20-25% less time consumption.

4. Conclusion The results of the project seem to indicate that it is possible to offer OHS services to small enterprises whic h they are interested in utilizing, but the precondition is development of a trust-based dialogue between the WEP and the owners of the small enterprises. The most important elements in development of the dialogue seem to be the personal contact focusing on positive achievements and the relation between the working environm ent and oth er manag ement g oals. The feeling of sec urity from being together with other owners of small enterprises is also an important element. Based on the dialogue it is possible to initiate working environment improvem ents in the enterprises both immediate smaller improvements and large scale projects which require a more extensive assistance from the OHS. The most importan t tool to initiate change is considered to be the exchange of experience between the owners. They are much more prone to listen to each other than to the WEPs. Presentations by the WEP s, exhibition s and che cklists can only to be regarded as supporting tools. It does not seem to be the particular design of the prog ramm e as outlined in fig. 2, but the principles wh ich are importan t. Elements such as the number and the specific content of workshops, use of check list and duration of 9

intermed iate periods can be varied according to the special characteristics of the involved industry and the responsible WEPs. Based on the experience from the project the most important principles are outlined in fig. 3. Figure 3. Basic principles for organising programmes for small enterprises

• • • • • • • • •

the basis is the small enter prises own ers own r eality the content must be concrete and action-oriented focus on p ositive achiev ements working environm ent relates to o ther mana gemen t goals a program me con tains visits to ente rprises, wo rkshops a nd interm ediate periods for enterprise activities invitation for w orkshops is given durin g persona l visits maximum duration of workshops is 3-4 hours organised late afternoon and early evening between workshops, activities in enterprises are supported by WEPs establishment of exch ange of experience g roups of owne rs

Considering the OHS resources for organising one pro gramm e for sma ll enterprises, it seems to require a little less than the yearly number of hours provided by the target group of small enterprises. However, it will not be relevant to organise program mes for a p articular industry every year. An interval of three to fou r years will p robably be sufficient. Consequently, there will be resources for doing more traditional consultancy jobs developing from the programm es or from other reaso ns. The experience with D anish owners of small enterprises proved that they are more reluctant tow ards profes sionals who w ant to prom ote working environment improve ments that in the context of Asian developing countries. The ILO experience with the W ISE me thodolog y has prov en that it is possible to follow a standard program me and initiate a large number of improvements before the fourth workshop (Kogi, 1991). In the Danish context it is important to put more emphasis towards development of dialogue and trust and it takes longer time to initiate improvements, but at the same time the OHS system offers an opportun ity to develop a sustainable relationship with the small enterprises which opens possibilities for more comprehensive and lasting improvements. Howeve r, use of the m ethodolog y develop ed in this pro ject requires new qualifications of the WEPs. It was obvious that they had little prior experience about the special demands required wh en working w ith small enterprises. It was difficult for them to change from the traditional problem-oriented approach used in larger enterprises to more a holistic, positive and possibility oriented approach in the smaller enterprises. The professional standards for the WEPs also prove d to be a co nstraint. It was difficult to adjust a lecture to 1015 minutes because they felt that a prope r presentation of basic prin ciples in their specific fields needed much more time. Even though it soon became obviou s that the owne rs were not really interested in principles and soon got bored from listening to lectures. Similarly the owners wanted to discuss any 10

problem with the individual WEP, whom they had developed a relationship to, even though the issue was outside his or hers professional field. The WEP often felt that they had to abstain from such discussion to the dissatisfaction of the owner. In spite of these difficulties the WEPs expressed that participation in the programmes for small enterprises was a rewarding experience. They realized the interesting possibilities in working with small enterprises and they discovered new asp ects of their pro fessionality w hich could also be use d in larger enterprises. Development of the new qualifications will be supported by a new post graduate training programme for OHS staff focusing on the consultative skills (Limborg, 1995). However, the qualifications cannot be achieved without practical experience with small enterprises. Organising programmes for small enterprises following the method s outlined in this article and supervised by a more experienced colleague will probably be the most efficient way.

Acknowledgement The project has been funded by a grant from the Danish Working Environment Fund. Thanks to the staff from Greater Copenhagen OHS-Centre and Sundby OHS-C entre who ha s enthusiastic ally worke d with the p roject, espec ially Marianne Hansen and He nrik Hjorth who have been responsible for the project in the two centres.

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References A.B. Antonsson, E. Arnbjerg, R. Bjurström: Sörmlandsprojektet. En metod för at utveckla och forbättra arbetsmiljöarbetet i små industriföretag (The Sörmland project. A method for development and improvement of the working en vironment activities in sma ll industrial enterprises). Institutet för Vatten- och Luftvårdsfo rskning. Stockholm 1989. (In Swedish) Arbejdstilsynet: BST status 1994/95 (OHS balance sheet 1994/95). The Danish Labour Inspection Service. Copenhagen 1995. (In Danish) Arbetsmiljöfonden: Hur kan man stödja småföretagen i deras arbetsmiljöarbete (How is it possible to support small enterprises in their working environment activities). Arbetsmiljöfondens Småföretags program. Stockholm 1990. (In Swedish) Å. Beckerus, B. Roos: Affärer som livsstil. Om glädje og tyranni i småföretagendets wärld (Bussines as a lifestyle. About happiness and tyranny in the world of sm all enterprises). Liber Förlag. Lun d 1985. (In Swedish) Sten Bornberger-Dankvardt: Hur får man småföretagen intresserade av FHV, Arbeta, Människa, miljö,1996:1. Danmarks Statistik: Erhvervsbeskæftigelsen 1993 (Occupational employment 1993). Generel Erhvervsstatistik og Handel 1995:7. (In Danish) P. Hasle, L. Wibroe, F. Petersen, C. Lachenmeier, C. Vogelius, P. Sunesen: Forbedring a arbejdsmiljøet i små virksomheder (Improvement of the working environment in small enterprises). CASA, Copenhagen 1992. (In Danish) K. Ko gi: Participatory training for low -cost impro vemen ts in small en terprises in developing countries. P. 73-89 in Participatory Ergonomics. Ed. K. Noro and A. Imada. Taylor and Francis, London 1991. H.J. Lim borg: Qu alifying the co nsultative skills o f the occup ational health service staff. Safety Science, 20 (1995) 247-252. H.J. Limborg, P. Hasle: BST og små virksomheder - Erfaringer med redskaber til at forbedre arbejdsmiljøet (OHS and small enterprises experience with methods to improve the working environment). The Danish W orking Environm ent Fund, Cop enhagen 199 6. (In Danish). Olle Persson: Att leva som småföretagare (living as a small enterprise owner). Go thenburg Univ ersity, Dep. of Psych ology, Gothen burg 1991. (In Sw edish). J. Thurman, A.E. Louzine, K. Kogi: Higher productivity and a better place to work. Practical ideas for owners and managers of small and medium-sized industrial enterprises. International Labour Office (ILO). Geneva 1988. D. W alters (ed): Th e Identification and Asse ssment o f Occup ational He alth and Safety Strategies in Europe. Vol. 1, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, Dublin 1996.

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