Towards an Analysis of the Public Policy of Safety and Health at Work in Colombia (1994 - 2018)

Abstract

With the Political Constitution of Colombia, the history of social security in the country was split in two, work on one side and social security on the other. These two elements were incorporated into the set of fundamental citizen rights, which led the government to adopt a series of public policies in the face of these new challenges. Objective. Analyze the Public Policy for Health and Safety at work in Colombia during the term 1994 - 2018, from an interpretive perspective. Methodology. To carry out the public policy analysis, a non-positivist interpretive perspective was implemented to guide the research. Several proposed documents were reviewed according to their objectives, means, and actions defined to transform a society either partially or totally. This was followed by a statistical analysis for the period, as well as the respective contrast. The analysis was based on a semi-structured interview and applied to various players in the Social Security System on Occupational Risks, which made it possible to establish non-compliance. Outcomes. Public Policy and guidelines for Health and Safety at work were identified, as were trends in occupational accidents and morbidity, which made it possible to establish the non-correspondence between public policy and the effects on the population. Conclusions. The public policy on Health and Safety at work does not show systematic rigor and congruence as it was made to comply with the requirements of the normative provisions. As a result, in the last 25 years, the occupational accident rate has doubled and the labor morbidity rate has tripled. Therefore, the intervention of several players and sectors in the construction of public policy does not ensure the improvement of the structural conditions of the system nor does it provide attention to the needs of the recipients. Therefore, a clear identification of the public problem and effective implementation of programs and procedures for their attention is required.