ENBIS: European Network for Business and Industrial Statistics

Challenges in estimating the cost and burden of occupation accidents

22 September 2009, 16:15 – 16:35

Abstract

Submitted by

Yousif Rahim

Authors

Yousif Rahim and Prof. Ron Kenett

Affiliation

Department of Statistics and Applied Mathematics, University of Tornio, Italy

Abstract

The cost and burden of occupational accidents and injuries is considered to be vast and takes a big share of industry expenses and national social insurance funds. Understanding the burden of occupational accidents and incidents is important for setting priorities in prevention and research. Occupational accidents and injuries are complex events, and the limitation of available data on their causes and consequences is the largest obstacle to accurate estimation and understanding of the burden of these accidents.

Occupational accidents and injuries are classified according to type of injury, into three groups, namely occupational accidents, accidents when travelling to or from work and work-related diseases. There are varieties of alternative cost allocation systems that classify consequences of accidents including economic or non-economic, direct or indirect, and internal or external factors. The cost of occupational accidents and injuries can be classified by consequences to the worker, employer and third party payers. The occupational accident costs can be categorised according to the economic consequences as economic or non-economic. It is therefore one of the more broadly defined classifications of the costs of occupational injuries. The social consequences of occupational accidents and injuries are difficult to define and quantify due to the overlap with economic and clinical consequences and the interdependencies they create.

The study will present a model for estimating the correct cost related to different types of occupational accidents in different industries and branch and the occupational accidents burden in different countries. The study is based on previous published studies, materials from different databases and previously collected data such as OECD databases and other available databases.

We will provide a review of literature on the cost of accidents, focusing on data sources, particularly linked to the some national studies carried in several countries. The analysis will be based on data available from literature and national statistic sources.

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