Effectiveness of joint health and safety units in occupational safety and health services: a field study and a scale.

Background: To protect employees against the hazards they may be exposed to during work, employers must provide preventive occupational safety and health (OSH) in international and national legislation. Employers can provide these services by their firm or by third parties. Structures created outside the workplace, within the scope of the private sector, are called joint health and safety units (JHSUs).