TY - JOUR
T1 - Differences in the lethality of occupational accidents in OECD countries
AU - Nishikitani, Mariko
AU - Yano, Eiji
N1 - Funding Information:
The data on workers’ compensation insurance and safety administration in the 11 eligible countries was collected using “Sources and Methods Labour Statistics Vol. 8” ( ILO, 1999 ) and “Social Security Programs Throughout the World 2002–2003” ( International Social Security Association, 2003 ). In the cases of Norway, Spain and Sweden, data from the “European Agency for Safety and Health at Work” was used ( European Agency for Safety and Health at Work: Norway, 2003; European Agency for Safety and Health at Work: Spain, 2003; European Agency for Safety and Health at Work: Sweden, 2003 ). For some countries, the relevant data was obtained directly from online government or organization documents, including the Ministry of Employment in Denmark ( Ministry of Employment, Denmark, 2003 ), the Department of Enterprise, Trade & Employment in Ireland ( Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment, Ireland, 2003 ), the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in Japan ( Labour Standards Bureau, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan, 2003 ), the Swedish Work Environment Association in Sweden ( Swedish Work Environment Association, 2003 ) and the Health and Safety Commission in the United Kingdom ( Health and Safety Commission, United Kingdom, 2002 ). Relevant information for Hungary, the Slovak Republic, the Czech Republic and Portugal was not accessible owing to a lack of English documentation. 2.5
PY - 2008/8
Y1 - 2008/8
N2 - International comparisons of the frequency of occupational accidents are rare because figures reported by each country are influenced by factors other than differences in the occurrence of actual accidents. In this study, we performed an international comparison of occupational accidents which distinguishes between fatal cases and all reported accidents, in order to control for the effects of other factors in accident reporting. Annual data on the numbers of fatal and non-fatal occupational accidents in member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) between 1993 and 1998 were obtained from the Labour Statistics Database, which is operated by the International Labour Organization (ILO). The average incidence of all accidents across OECD countries ranged from 17 to 4608 per 100,000 persons in the labor force, whereas the incidence of fatal accidents across OECD countries ranged from 1 to 12 per 100,000 persons in the labor force. Lethality rates per 10,000 total accident cases ranged from 9 (Germany) to 3252 (Turkey). When comparing countries using the same statistical definition of accidents, three or more absence days, the difference in lethality of reported accidents within the same industrial sector is reduced to a sixfold difference (49 for the United Kingdom versus 333 for Ireland). Furthermore, the difference in lethality decreased to about twofold (18 for Spain versus 35 for Czech Republic) in the group using definitions with a criteria of one absent day. The results suggest that reported differences in lethality can reflect artificial administrative factors rather than the harmful factors that cause actual occupational accidents. To make more valid comparison of occupational accident between countries, harmonization of accident statistics is required.
AB - International comparisons of the frequency of occupational accidents are rare because figures reported by each country are influenced by factors other than differences in the occurrence of actual accidents. In this study, we performed an international comparison of occupational accidents which distinguishes between fatal cases and all reported accidents, in order to control for the effects of other factors in accident reporting. Annual data on the numbers of fatal and non-fatal occupational accidents in member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) between 1993 and 1998 were obtained from the Labour Statistics Database, which is operated by the International Labour Organization (ILO). The average incidence of all accidents across OECD countries ranged from 17 to 4608 per 100,000 persons in the labor force, whereas the incidence of fatal accidents across OECD countries ranged from 1 to 12 per 100,000 persons in the labor force. Lethality rates per 10,000 total accident cases ranged from 9 (Germany) to 3252 (Turkey). When comparing countries using the same statistical definition of accidents, three or more absence days, the difference in lethality of reported accidents within the same industrial sector is reduced to a sixfold difference (49 for the United Kingdom versus 333 for Ireland). Furthermore, the difference in lethality decreased to about twofold (18 for Spain versus 35 for Czech Republic) in the group using definitions with a criteria of one absent day. The results suggest that reported differences in lethality can reflect artificial administrative factors rather than the harmful factors that cause actual occupational accidents. To make more valid comparison of occupational accident between countries, harmonization of accident statistics is required.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=45249100884&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=45249100884&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ssci.2007.06.017
DO - 10.1016/j.ssci.2007.06.017
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:45249100884
SN - 0925-7535
VL - 46
SP - 1078
EP - 1090
JO - Journal of Occupational Accidents
JF - Journal of Occupational Accidents
IS - 7
ER -
