EMPLOYEE OWNERSHIP, PARTICIPATION AND WORKPLACE SAFETY - A RESPONSE

This article questions assumptions from a 1996 article in Economic and Industrial Democracy on employee ownership and workplace safety and r eviews findings about the safety performance of firms in Washington st ate and Canada. There is also discussion about the economic performanc e of employee-owned companies in relation to their competitors. Resear chers are cautioned not to assume an equation between employee ownersh ip and high levels of worker participation. The article concludes with a discussion of what might be required to successfully change company practices so that safer workplaces can be created.