Occupational Health and Safety Handbook

Occupational Health and Safety Handbook—Volume 1: Foundations, Governance, and Socio-Legal Frameworks establishes the essential intellectual and institutional foundations upon which effective safety practice is built. This volume explores why occupational health and safety is a societal obligation, examining how responsibilities and authority are structured through law and governance and how ethical, social justice, and human rights considerations shape modern safety systems.

Rather than focusing solely on operational controls, this book delves into the deeper structures that influence safety outcomes—such as regulatory frameworks, institutional roles, leadership accountability, self-regulation, non-governmental standards, and global policy influences. Through comparative perspectives, historical context, and real-world case studies, readers gain a clear understanding of how safety failures often stem from governance breakdowns long before technical controls fail.

Written for professionals across all industrial sectors, Volume 1 serves as the gateway to the eight-volume Occupational Health and Safety Handbook series, providing a solid foundation for further exploration of risk management, human factors, operational safety, occupational health, and emerging global challenges.

An indispensable reference for safety practitioners, engineers, managers, regulators, researchers, and students, this volume offers a globally relevant, ethically grounded, and professionally rigorous approach to the science and practice of occupational health and safety.