Estimating the cost of accidents and ill-health at work : a review of methodologies

What is the real price to pay for not investing in occupational safety and health? Many studies have previously tackled this question by evaluating the costs of poor or non-existent safety and health at work. This report reviews a selection of these studies and analyses the estimating methods used by each. It focuses on five different types of cost – productivity, healthcare, quality of life, administration and insurance – that emerge as a consequence of poor occupational safety and health and how these costs affect four types of stakeholders – workers, employers, government and society. The report goes on to recommend how these costs should be estimated in the future to best inform policy-makers.