Ten establishment case studies (in hospitals, in the production sector and in hotels) on the implementation of psychosocial risk management in four european countries (Sweden, Denmark, United Kingdom, Spain) were carried out. The establishment-based interviews were supplemented by interviews with inter-company experts and document analyses which provided relevant information on the respective national context.

Despite all the differences between the respective national occupational safety and health cultures in the four countries that were investigated, it is possible to draw general conclusions, which are also relevant to occupational safety and health practice in Germany. This relates in particular to the following aspects:

• Consensus building among occupational health and safety players on approaches and methods with regard to risk management contributes to certainty in action and will reduce potential conflicts.
• In company practice, the focus should be on the process of risk management, i.e. the operational activities from the initiation to the implementation of measures.
• Strong participation rights of the employee representation as well as an established participation culture will facilitate the implementation of risk management.
• Activating and using the practical "local" knowledge (knowledge founded on experience), e.g. by specific surveys of workers, is an important success factor. At the same time, the selective use of external expertise may be helpful, particularly in the initial phase of risk management.