Occupational Accidents in Industrial Maintenance: A Systematic Review of Typologies and Causal Factors

ABSTRACT

Industrial maintenance, as it involves direct contact with the internal components of machinery and equipment, entails a high level of exposure to occupational risks, requiring integrated analyses that correlate accident types, causal agents, and maintenance strategies. The aim of this study was to systematically map these associations, offering a fresh perspective on how specific maintenance strategies dictate accident causality. To this end, a systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted following the PRISMA protocol, analyzing articles indexed in Scopus and Web of Science. The results indicated that unplanned corrective maintenance practices are more strongly associated with the occurrence of accidents than planned corrective, preventive, and predictive maintenance strategies. This scenario is exacerbated by deficiencies in maintenance planning, inadequate equipment conditions, and insufficient infrastructure investment. It was also observed that misalignment across different organizational levels contributes to accidents by limiting the consolidation of a safety culture and hindering the implementation of preventive approaches. Ultimately, the contribution of this article is providing a structured theoretical synthesis of how organizational misalignment and specific maintenance policies directly degrade occupational safety. By illuminating these complex interactions, this study adds new knowledge to the literature, establishing an evidence‐based foundation to systematically incorporate maintenance impacts into strategic health and safety decision‐making.