ABSTRACT
Voluntary health insurance operated by local societies existed in Sweden from the mid to late 1800s. It was made compulsory for certain worker groups in 1931. The first occupational safety and health (OSH) legislation in Sweden was drafted nearly one hundred years ago. It was aimed primarily at preventing accidents on the job. Today there is legislation which covers health conditions and services and ergonomic and psycho-social aspects of work environments. The concept, work environment, covered in the 1976 Agreement and the 1978 law is a good deal broader than traditional OSH. Every place of work with fifty or more employees must have a joint labor-management safety committee on which a majority are employees. Half of the money for OSH services in Sweden is paid by employers, half by the national health insurance. Presumably, the first half is intended to support preventive efforts and the second curative or treatment services.
