Small Is Not Always Beautiful – A Comparative Study Of Working Conditions

When considering working conditions, the myth sometimes holds that small is beautiful. Some studies of occupational accidents show that small companies have fever accidents than large. This indicates that small companies have better working conditions than large. A Danish study based on a random sample of employees in the general industry rejects this myth.

The figures show that physical working conditions become systematically worse the smaller the size of privately owned companies. The study also supports international data that small companies underreport accidents, and that this might be the reason why small seems beautiful.