DEVELOPMENT OF A DIAGNOSTIC INDEX FOR ASSESSING OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY CULTURE IN SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES IN UZBEKISTAN (OSCI-UZ FRAMEWORK)

Abstract

Occupational safety culture is a critical determinant of sustainable productivity, particularly in small and medium enterprises (SMEs), where limited resources and informal organizational structures often lead to insufficient compliance with safety standards. This study proposes a novel diagnostic framework—OSCI-UZ (Occupational Safety Culture Index for Uzbekistan)—designed to evaluate, quantify, and benchmark safety culture maturity across SMEs in Uzbekistan. The index integrates fuzzy-Delphi expert evaluation, multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM), and weighted composite indicators covering managerial commitment, employee participation, risk awareness, training effectiveness, and regulatory compliance. A pilot application demonstrates the index’s feasibility and sensitivity in differentiating safety culture levels across sectors. The results indicate that the proposed index can serve as a practical decision-support tool for policymakers, enterprise managers, and occupational safety regulators