Maskinsäkerhetsstandarder och lönsamhet : Profitability of standardisation and safety of machinery

Sammanfattning: The composing of new standards in the area of machinery safety is a continuous work which aims at writing standards that works as a tool for companies and enables them to control if the fundamental demands of security and health which is prescribed by law are reached. It is optional for the companies to choose if they want to use the standards. This report is written in cooperation with SIS and the study were performed within the technical committee SIS/TK 282. The report aims to investigating if the companies that choose to use standards see any economic advantages due to this work, how these advantages take form and where they originate. The main question formulation is how the profitability among companies that have adjusted their production to machinery safety standards are affected.   The study was performed with an initial literature study which aimed at obtaining knowledge and an overview over the subject as well as investigate what former studies had resulted in. Thereafter a poll where executed among the participants in SIS/TK 282 and from this group an unit for observations were chosen for later interviews.   Among the effects that were observed in the study it is worth to mention that standards contribute to harmonising laws in Europe and the work with composing standards therefore benefit the free market and possibilities for the companies to export their goods. Due to an increased focus on the international standards the work with composing new standards has become a global network. The companies that engage themselves in this work can contribute and affect in what direction the new standards are going and through this work they can benefit their own products. Through this they can gain an advantage over their rival companies.      A systematic work with composing new standards also works as a tool to help companies to reach their goals in safety. Also standards can generate a decrease in absence due to illness and the risk that an accident occurs. The responsibilities among the personnel is increased and the standards connect personnel – managerial staff – prescriptions from the law which can create an increased comfort in the workplace. This in turn can create an increased quality of the products and better reliability of delivery. The use of standards can also help the company to detect the underlying reasons for problems in the production and through this reach less discontinues in the production and an increased accessibility to the machines.   There emerged a number of factors in the study that indicates that it is profitable for a company to adopt to standards and to actively participate in the development of new standards.