Journal of Occupational Accidents最新文献

Harms-Ringdahl, L., 1990. On economic evaluation of systematic safety work at companies. Journal of Occupational Accidents, 12: 89–98.

A simple model has been developed for cost-benefit evaluation of safety improving measures at companies. Economic values are estimated for a number of items, which fall in three main categories. These are system investigation, implementation of measures, and the effect on the improved system.

A description of the application is given in four case studies. One study concerned the application of accident investigations. In three studies safety analysis was applied on work places at factories. The economic calculations gave positive economic results in all the cases. In the case with accident investigations a reduced number of accidents gave a good economy. In the other studies the major part of the benefits came from production improvements.

One conclusion is that the model worked practically for estimation of costs and benefits for safety work. However, there are large uncertainties in the estimations, which make it advisable to present both high and low value results. As the economic results were good, calculations of this kind can be valuable in a strategy to motivate companies to apply a more systematic safety work, especially in the design of factories and workplaces.

Söderqvist, A., Rundmo, T. and Aaltonen, M., 1990. Costs of occupational accidents in the nordic furniture industry (Sweden, Norway, Finland). Journal of Occupational Accidents, 12: 79–88.

An empirical study of the costs of occupational accidents was carried out during 1986-87 in 57 furniture companies in Finland, Norway and Sweden, employing 5,000 cabinet-makers. The sample covered 18 percent of the furniture manufacturing industry in the three countries. The main objective of this study was to increase safety management motivation. The layout of the study was identical in all three. A total of 460 accidents were investigated. The consequences of each accident were identified and analyzed.

The costing is based on three costing models, called the market pricing model, the accounting model, and the spare-capacity model. The latter was developed within the project and tested in Norway and Sweden. Total costs calculated with the spare-capacity model were 4 times greater than costs calculated with the market pricing model. The accounting model reflects management perception of losses, but is not adequate to mirror the true accident costs. Using of the traditional market pricing model, monetary losses can easily be underestimated.

The cost analyses indicate that the company costs for the sample of participating firms in Finland are 0.5%, in Norway 0.3% and in Sweden 0.2% of the total wages using the market pricing model. A substantial portion of the total costs were borne by other than the company. Owing to the differences of insurance rules, the costs that firms incur would appear to be about 63% in Finland, 44% in Norway and in Sweden only about 9% of costs for lost production time (n = 399).

Linden, A.E., 1990. The use of a national system for work induced injuries. A local and regional perspective. Journal of Occupational Accidents, 12: 191–197.

The Swedish Information System on occupational injuries contains all occupational accidents and diseases reported in Sweden. Inaugurated in 1979, the system now contains over one million work-related injuries. Detailed encoding of each individual injury provides flexible opportunities for using the information to detect and prevent occupational injuries. In recent years projects to use occupational injury statistics at the local and regional level have been developed. Three of these projects are described in this article. Facilities for on-line retrieval of statistics concerning workplaces, makes it possible for the Labour Inspectorate to compare the injury picture for the individual workplace with the industry as a whole. The evaluation showed that the information provided useful documentation for discussions with company representatives. With the aim to activate preventive local work by employers the Labour Inspectorate take great importance to following up the measures planned in order to prevent a repetition of an occupational accident or disease. Labour inspectors derive more benefit, e.g., from being able to evaluate statistics for industries or occupational groups in a particular municipality. A software package is being developed in close collaboration between users and software designers.