Identification of key leading indicators for improving occupational health and safety systems in small and medium-sized cold storage facilities

Manual handling employees who work in cold environments are at risk of cold-related disorders, decreased productivity, and safety issues. This paper proposes a hybrid method for selecting and ranking the key indicators of occupational safety in small and medium-sized cold storage facilities. The methodological approach begins by establishing a decision-making group composed of experts who assess risks in cold storage companies, in cooperation with occupational safety representatives from these organisations. The evaluation framework includes six groups and thirty-three indicators. The weights of the groups and indicators are determined through pairwise comparisons using triangular fuzzy numbers to incorporate uncertainty in the group decision-making process. The results indicate that adequate employee engagement and management commitment have a significant potential to improve occupational health and safety systems.