The Danish occupational health service system—developed throughout a period of 25 years as a multidisciplinary preventive advisory system with obligations to enterprises and strong worker participation—will be changed to a market-based and more liberal advisory system without general obligations. The Danish Working Environment Authority will screen all Danish enterprises, and enterprises with complicated occupational safety and health problems will be ordered to use external health services until the problems are solved or for a certain period. The role of occupational health services is changing from being an integrated part of reflexive Danish regulation to a role as an extension of a more command–control-based system. This transition raises the question of whether the system in general will be able to support preventive activities in “normal” enterprises without severe occupational safety and health problems in the future.

Key terms command–control-based regulation; Denmark; legislation; nongovernmental control; Nordic model; occupational health service system; occupational health services; OHS; prevention; preventive service; reflexive regulation