What does occupational safety and health represent to Serbia? A security-science analysis

With the adoption of the Law on Occupational Safety and Health at the end of April 2023, after nearly two decades of the previous law, the Republic of Serbia emphasises the need to additionally regulate and improve this area. However, despite the legal improvements, from a security-science point of view, the terminology used within the Law on Occupational Safety and Health's framework appears to be insufficiently scientifically-accurate. This may lead to harmful consequences, such as loss of life, injuries, occupational diseases or the development of work-related diseases, as well as material damage. Although workers may feel safe during work activities, the actual level of their safety may be an illusion. The scientifically-accurate occupational safety terminology is the foundation of occupational risk prevention. The scientific aim of this study was to analyse and highlight the terminological deficiencies of definitions used within Serbia's Law on Occupational Safety and Health from the perspective of security science, which has been successfully achieved. The practical objective of this research was to emphasise the necessity of amending the key terminological interpretations to establish a scientific foundation of occupational safety in the Republic of Serbia, which is discussed in both, the concluding and preceding chapters. In addition to encourage the revision of the Law's key terms, the concluding chapter provides an overview of scientifically-accurate occupational safety terms and definitions, which can be undoubtedly utilised in the future scientific discourse. By adopting this approach, it is possible to establish scientifically and methodologically-accurate life-health-integrity safeguard principles of occupational safety in the Republic of Serbia.