scholarly journals Economic burden of work injuries and diseases: a framework and application in five European Union countries

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emile Tompa ◽  
Amirabbas Mofidi ◽  
Swenneke van den Heuvel ◽  
Thijmen van Bree ◽  
Frithjof Michaelsen ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Estimates of the economic burden of work injuries and diseases can help policymakers prioritize occupational health and safety policies and interventions in order to best allocate scarce resources. Several attempts have been made to estimate these economic burdens at the national level, but most have not included a comprehensive list of cost components, and none have attempted to implement a standard approach across several countries. The aim of our study is to develop a framework for estimating the economic burden of work injuries and diseases and implement it for selected European Union countries. Methods We develop an incidence cost framework using a bottom-up approach to estimate the societal burden of work injuries and diseases and implement it for five European Union countries. Three broad categories of costs are considered—direct healthcare, indirect productivity and intangible health-related quality of life costs. We begin with data on newly diagnosed work injuries and diseases from calendar year 2015. We consider lifetime costs for cases across all categories and incurred by all stakeholders. Sensitivity analysis is undertaken for key parameters. Results Indirect costs are the largest part of the economic burden, then direct costs and intangible costs. As a percentage of GDP, the highest overall costs are for Poland (10.4%), then Italy (6.7%), The Netherlands (3.6%), Germany (3.3%) and Finland (2.7%). The Netherlands has the highest per case costs (€75,342), then Italy (€58,411), Germany (€44,919), Finland (€43,069) and Poland (€38,918). Costs per working-age population are highest for Italy (€4956), then The Netherlands (€2930), Poland (€2793), Germany (€2527) and Finland (€2331). Conclusions Our framework serves as a template for estimating the economic burden of work injuries and diseases across countries in the European Union and elsewhere. Results can assist policymakers with identifying health and safety priority areas based on the magnitude of components, particularly when stratified by key characteristics such as industry, injury/disease, age and sex. Case costing can serve as an input into the economic evaluation of prevention initiatives. Comparisons across countries provide insights into the relevant performance of health and safety systems.

2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. A17.3-A18
Author(s):  
Emile Tompa ◽  
Amirabbas Mofidi ◽  
Young Jung ◽  
Thijmen van Bree ◽  
Swenneke van den Heuvel ◽  
...  

The objective of this study was to estimate the economic burden of occupational injuries and diseases in five European Union countries for the reference year 2015.We used a ‘bottom up’ approach to estimate the economic burden from a societal perspective for Finland, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, and Poland. Three broad cost categories were considered—direct health care, indirect productivity, and intangible health-related quality of life costs. The methods started with data on newly diagnosed occupational injuries and diseases from calendar year 2015. We considered lifetime costs for cases across all cost categories. Sensitivity analysis was undertaken to assess the impact of key parameters.Indirect costs represent the largest proportion of total costs (with the exception is Poland), ranging from 66% for The Netherland to 43% for Poland. Intangible costs are the second highest, ranging from 49% for Poland to 21% for Finland and The Netherlands. Direct costs range from 16% for Finland to 8% for Poland.Average per case costing is highest for The Netherlands (€75,342), followed by Italy (€58,411), German (€44,919), Finland (€43,069) and lastly Poland (€38,918). Total costs as a percentage of GDP are highest for Poland (10.4%), followed by Italy (6.7%), The Netherlands (3.6%), Germany (3.3%) and lastly Finland (2.7%). In terms of costs per working population, the value is highest for Italy (€4,956), followed by The Netherland (€2,930), Poland (€2,793), Germany (€2,527) and lastly Finland (€2,331).The economic burden of occupational injuries and diseases in the countries considered are substantial, despite efforts to reduce adverse workplace exposures. Our case costs and total economic burden estimates provide a basis for undertaking economic evaluations of prevention efforts and can serve as a template for monitoring and evaluation at the country level. We advance the methods on several fronts.


2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 59-80
Author(s):  
Ryszard Żelichowski

The uncontrolled wave of immigrants to the European Union countries, which reached its peak in 2015, challenged not only the well-established system of asylum policies in the Member States but also revealed the fundamental differences among them concerning the so-called “immigration issue”. The article focuses on the mechanisms and institutions which evolved during the different waves of immigrants in Belgium and the Netherlands. It also looks for an answer to the question: is mass immigration to Europe a threat or an opportunity? Depending on one’s attitude to the topic, the answer may be positive or negative.


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-105
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Raczkowska ◽  
Joanna Wrzesińska-Kowal

The article addresses issues concerning the level of income inequalities in the countries of the European Union in 2010 and 2018. Subject literature and secondary Eurostat data were used in order to achieve the aim of the study. The obtained results confirmed the presence of a large variability in the level of income inequalities between countries of the European Union. Bulgaria and Lithuania were the countries characterized by the biggest income inequalities. The smallest income disproportions, independent of the interference of the state, occurred in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Slovenia. In addition, in 2018, a relatively large drop in inequality in Poland, as well as an increase in inequality in Luxembourg, Sweden and the Netherlands was observed. The study conducted allows to confirm the hypothesis assumed at the beginning, which states that in countries that are part of the European Community, the governments effectively contribute to the reduction in income inequalities by means of taxes and social remittances. However, a decrease in so-called the Gini gap in most European Union countries means that the effectiveness of redistribution has been decreasing.


2018 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
pp. 01034
Author(s):  
Izabela Sówka ◽  
Leszek Karski

The problem of odor nuisance requires undertaking legal means that aim towards implementation of regulations in order to improve the odor-related quality of air in selected areas in Poland. So far the works carried out in the country were concluded by drawing up ‘The guidelines for the bill on counteracting the odor nuisance’. However, as a result of completed social consultations in Poland, the Ministry of Environment, in 2015, resigned from implementing of so called anti-odor act. Currently, the legislature is taking steps which aim at undertaking specific actions in order to introduce solutions, which would directly regulate the issues of odors and the odor nuisance, to the national system. In the countries of the European Union, the issues related to odors are solved in diversified ways and the system still lacks of a uniform proposition, among others related to odor standards. In connection with the above, actions that are taken on a national level should fundamentally aim at developing national odor standards which would take into account the type / the kind of economic activity being a source of odor emission (e.g. clearly separated for existing objects and planned investments), at establishing a procedure and also legal and operational requirements related to determination and the types of zones with defined values of acceptable concentration and determination of reference methodology in monitoring, and modeling the dispersion of odors e.g. including strictly defined frequency of necessary tests. In addition, the process should be accompanied by a creation of financial mechanisms and streams in range of investments related to the development of technology and methods used to limit emission of odors.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (13) ◽  
pp. 81-90
Author(s):  
Furkan Fahri ALTINTAŞ

By analyzing their own and each other's health security performance, countries can develop strategies and methods to increase their health security performance. Therefore, it is important to provide the said performance measurement in order to raise awareness of the health security performance of the countries. In this context, the health security performances of the European Union countries were measured by the MAIRCA method over the values of the Global Health Security Index (GHSI) components for the latest and current 2019. In the research, the relationships were calculated between the health security performance values of the countries determined by the GHSI and MAIRCA method and some multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) methods (ARAS, BTA, COPRAS, EDAS, MAUT, ROV, TOPSIS, WASPAS, Gray Relational Analysis). According to the findings, it was determined that the first three countries with the highest health and safety performance were Sweden, the Netherlands and Denmark, while the first three countries with the lowest health and safety performance were Bulgaria, Romania and Cyprus. In the study, it was also observed that the countries of Bulgaria, Czechia, Cyprus, Croatia, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and Greece were below the average health protection performance value. Accordingly, it has been concluded that these countries need to increase their health safety performance in order to be in compliance with other European Union countries on health safety. Apart from these, it has been determined that GHSI and MAIRCA methods have significant, positive and very high correlations with each other and with other MCDM methods except MAUT method. Therefore, according to this finding, it was evaluated that GHSI and MAIRCA method could be explained with each other and with other methods except MAUT method.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (16) ◽  
pp. 4990
Author(s):  
Marek Walesiak ◽  
Grażyna Dehnel ◽  
Marek Obrębalski

Since 2010, the European Union countries have been implementing the objectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy aimed at smart, sustainable, and inclusive growth. The Strategy formulates nine indicators that are systematically monitored and assessed. Not all the indicators of the Europe 2020 Strategy could be used in the analysis in a direct way. Due to the limited availability and comparability of statistical data, this problem is presented in detail in part 2 of the article. The assessment of the achievement level of the Europe 2020 Strategy targets, both at the level of the entire European Union (the EU-level targets approach) and its individual Member States (the national-level targets approach) is the primary research purpose of the study. The composite index proposed and constructed on the basis of a dynamic relative taxonomy was used in the conducted research to present the diversified distance of the individual European Union countries in relation to the EU-level targets as well as the national-level targets of the Europe 2020 Strategy. The research methodology allows conducting the analysis taking into account the missing data. Most methods of ordering objects based on aggregate measures are compensatory in nature. This problem was significantly reduced by taking into account the geometric mean in the construction of the aggregate measure. The research findings revealed that in the years 2010–2019 an ongoing improvement in the implementation of both the EU and the national targets of the Europe 2020 Strategy was observed. In addition, the differences existing between the European Union Member States were reduced. However, none of the countries achieved the EU-level targets. Their highest implementation level was recorded in Denmark, Sweden, Austria, and Finland. The achievement level of the strategic goals regarding the national-level targets was influenced by the choice of one of the two approaches indicated in the study and adopted by the individual EU Member States in determining the set target values of the indicators, i.e., either prudential or optimistic.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 598-617 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.V. Ratner

Subject. The article considers the concept of circular economy, which has originated relatively recently in the academic literature, and is now increasingly recognized in many countries at the national level. In the European Union, the transition to circular economy is viewed as an opportunity to improve competitiveness of the European Union, protect businesses from resource shortages and fluctuating prices for raw materials and supplies, and a way to increase employment and innovation. Objectives. The aim of the study is to analyze the incentives developed by the European Commission for moving to circular economy, and to assess their effectiveness on the basis of statistical analysis. Methods. I employ general scientific methods of research. Results. The analysis of the EU Action Plan for the Circular Economy enabled to conclude that the results of the recent research in circular economy barriers, eco-innovation, technology and infrastructure were successfully integrated into the framework of this document. Understanding the root causes holding back the circular economy development and the balanced combination of economic and administrative incentives strengthened the Action Plan, and it contributed to the circular economy development in the EU. Conclusions. The measures to stimulate the development of the circular economy proposed in the European Action Plan can be viewed as a prototype for designing similar strategies in other countries, including Russia. Meanwhile, a more detailed analysis of barriers to the circular economy at the level of individual countries and regions is needed.


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