Material breakages and damages are not unknown incidents in supply chains, but material damage and occupational accidents are nonetheless little understood elements of the overall supply chain. What is perhaps even lesser known is how occupational hazards and work environment safety link up with material damage. That is what Pia Perttula investigates in Safety of a logistics chain: a case study. Here here he looks at the paper industry in Finland and the occupational accidents that occur in the supply chain from the paper mill to the harbor of arrival. Interestingly, the paper finds that  that workers handling the material were not aware of the extent of the damage, nor the monetary value it represented,  indicating that material damage is a whole supply chain issue, and not a matter of the individual supply chain parties only.

Continue reading →