Impacts of globalization on worker injury in host countries

Purpose: International expansion is an inevitable consequence for companies that are seeking revenue growth. Foreign direct investment (FDI) by global enterprises is a common route of such expansion. As companies invest abroad, competing interests cause concerns over the impact (both positive and negative) on the local labor force (necessitating corporate social responsibility) caused by FDI. Therefore, there is a logical link between FDI, a country’s labor force and globalization. The purpose of this study is to explore this untested relationship. Design/methodology/approach: This panel study uses cross-country data from the World Bank to understand the pattern of influence of globalization on worker injury. A secondary data set of 36 developed and developing countries from 2003 to 2007 are gathered for this paper to analyze. Findings: The results of this paper indicate that, companies are seeking to maintain higher levels of social responsibility should not only consider a framework such as ISO 26000 themselves but also they should encourage compliance from their upstream suppliers as well. Originality/value: Goods for these companies are manufactured in Bangladesh, but unfortunately, a serious tragedy occurred when a building collapsed, resulting in the death of 1,127 people, which was not the first of such events in Bangladesh (The Associated Press, 2013). Inspired by this recent tragedy, this study examines possible connections between globalization and the factors that are associated with the incidences of worker injury. Globalization is a well-studied phenomenon, however very little has been done to examine its impact on worker injuries; this paper helps fill that gap.