Using quantitative methods in occupational accident risk management research

Abstract

Highlights: Damages to workers' health resulting from work accidents arise from risk factors in the work environment. The risk management of occupational accidents aims to avoid the losses caused by these factors. The knowledge produced in the last decades about prevention has challenged professionals to rethink management models. The scientific productions that employ quantitative methods in data analysis help identify strategies to be adopted by organizations. Objective: Identify the main quantitative methods in international scientific research on occupational accident risk management. Design/Methodology/Approach: This is a descriptive study with a quantitative approach, which seeks to add knowledge on the subject through a bibliometric survey of articles published between 2010 and 2019 in the Scopus, Science Direct, Web of Science, and Engineered Research databases. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data, especially absolute and relative frequency. Results: The results show that most publications use the techniques of descriptive statistics and reliability analysis, namely Crombach's Alpha. The research is in accordance with the concepts of Breadford's Law since many journals produced few scientific articles on the specific theme. To support the quantitative methods, the results point to the recurrence of scientific articles as a theoretical referential instead of the literature search, which explores books. Research limitations: The bibliographic portfolio investigated articles published in the four (4) selected databases between 2010 and 2019. It refers only to a part of the international production on the topic; therefore, the findings cannot be generalized. Practical implications: In practical terms, this study's results can help identify the characteristics of the scientific production on the subject, produce knowledge, contribute to the formation of networks of authors interested in and researching the subject, direct new studies, and provide support for methodological decisions for new research. Originality/value: Few scientific studies on occupational accident risk management have extensively analyzed international production with an emphasis on quantitative methods in data analysis.

Keywords: Quantitative methods; Risk management; Accidents at work; Bibliometric research.