Barriers to the implementation of occupational health and safety regulations in Lebanon

Abstract

This study aims to explore the barriers that prevent the implementation of occupational health and safety regulations in Lebanon. A qualitative approach was adopted including a document analysis of the available legal documents pertaining to occupational health and safety at the national level and ten in-depth interviews with professionals in the field of occupational health and safety in Lebanon. Our findings show that the implementation of the occupational health and safety regulations in Lebanon is hindered by several barriers including the lack of a holistic legal framework, lack of promotion of a health and safety culture at work, insufficient number of labor inspectors, insufficient training for labor inspectors, lack of necessary tools and equipment, lack of an adequate documentation system, hierarchy within the Ministry of Labor, weak compliance, and the influence of the informal sector.

Keywords:

• Barriers
• implementation
• Lebanon
• occupational health and safety
• regulations

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.