Corporate Social Responsibility as a Competitive Advantage in the Field of Occupational Health and Safety. Comparative Theoretical Overview of the Bridge and Access Road Construction Sector

Abstract

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) refers to companies’ commitment to ethical practices that benefit society and the environment. Occupational safety and health (OSH) ensures safe work environments, preventing risks and promoting employee well-being. The combination of both can contribute to forming a competitive advantage for companies. To this end, a research is proposed with the general objective of: Analyzing corporate social responsibility practices as a competitive advantage in the field of occupational health and safety from a comparative theoretical perspective of the bridge and access road construction sector, with emphasis on developed countries, Latin America, and Ecuador. The methodology was qualitative, descriptive- explanatory, using the inductive-deductive, analytical-synthetic, and comparative methods. The information collection units comprised international and national databases on legislation, regulations, and practices in developed countries, Latin American countries, and Ecuador. The analysis and presentation techniques of the results were structured in comparative descriptive tables and semantic networks coded in the Atlas.ti V-7.5.18 (2019) Software. The results showed that the countries mostly agreed that CSR and OSH practices provide beneficial results in terms of quality of life, talent retention, and improvement of business reputation. However, these efforts face financial and bureaucratic barriers that hinder their adoption, especially in less developed contexts and in smaller companies.