Managing preventive occupational health and safety activities in Danish enterprises during a period of financial crisis

•The article is based on analysis of two surveys – one issued in 2006 the other in 2011.•The relation between recession and working environment activities is analysed and discussed.•The companies’ psychosocial preventive activities during the financial crisis has increased.•The concepts of procyclitality and countercyclicality are discussed in the light of the results.