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The impact of the business cycle on occupational injuries in the UK

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  • Davies, Rhys
  • Jones, Paul
  • Nuñez, Imanol

Abstract

This paper investigates the cyclical fluctuations in rates of workplace injury for the UK from 1986 to 2005. Time series analysis shows that, in aggregate terms, the rate of minor injuries is pro-cyclical whilst the rate of major injury is not affected by the level of economic activity. Analysis by sector reveals that cyclical fluctuations are sharper in the construction and manufacturing sectors. Using panel data, we find that fluctuations in both the rates of minor and major injury are related to the level of new hiring and the ratio of actual to usual hours worked. However, only minor injuries are related to variables that control for workers' bargaining power. The analysis demonstrates the importance of both compositional effects and individual reporting behaviour to understanding cyclical variations in workplace injury rates.

Suggested Citation

  • Davies, Rhys & Jones, Paul & Nuñez, Imanol, 2009. "The impact of the business cycle on occupational injuries in the UK," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 69(2), pages 178-182, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:69:y:2009:i:2:p:178-182
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    2. Watson, Dorothy & Maitre, Bertrand & Russell, Helen, 2015. "Workplace Risks and Worker Outcomes in Ireland from a Comparative Perspective: An Analysis of the European Working Conditions Survey, 2005 and 2010," Research Series, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), number RS46.
    3. Delgado-Cubillo, Pablo & Martín-Román, Ángel L., 2023. "Workers’ behavior after safety regulations: Impact evaluation of the Spanish Occupational Safety and Health Act," MPRA Paper 117284, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Angelo Castaldo & Anna Rita Germani & Alessia Marrocco & Marco Forti & Andrea Salustri, 2024. "Drivers and frictions of workplace accidents: an empirical investigation of cross-country European heterogeneity," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 56(24), pages 2931-2946, May.
    5. Ali Palali & Jan C. Ours, 2017. "Workplace Accidents and Workplace Safety: On Under-reporting and Temporary Jobs," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 31(1), pages 1-14, March.
    6. Lafuente, Esteban & Daza, Viviana, 2020. "Work inspections as a control mechanism for mitigating work accidents in Europe," TEC Empresarial, School of Business, Costa Rica Institute of Technology (ITCR), vol. 14(1), pages 26-37.
    7. Picchio, Matteo & van Ours, Jan C., 2016. "Temporary Jobs and the Severity of Workplace Accidents," IZA Discussion Papers 10121, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    8. Urbanos-Garrido, Rosa M. & Gonzalez Lopez-Valcarcel, Beatriz, 2013. "Desempleo y salud: Un análisis de la repercusión de la crisis económica sobre la salud de los españoles/Unemployment and Health: An Analysis of the Impact of the Economic Crisis on the Health of the S," Estudios de Economia Aplicada, Estudios de Economia Aplicada, vol. 31, pages 303-326, Septiembr.
    9. Stefanie Thönnes & Stefan Pichler, 2019. "Sickness absence and unemployment revisited," Working Papers Dissertations 53, Paderborn University, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics.
    10. Rosa Urbanos-Garrido & Beatriz Lopez-Valcarcel, 2015. "The influence of the economic crisis on the association between unemployment and health: an empirical analysis for Spain," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 16(2), pages 175-184, March.
    11. Stefan Pichler, 2015. "Sickness Absence, Moral Hazard, and the Business Cycle," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 24(6), pages 692-710, June.
    12. Simo Salminen & Donghyun Seo, 2015. "Future of Occupational Injuries," International Journal of Asian Social Science, Asian Economic and Social Society, vol. 5(6), pages 341-354, June.
    13. Athina Economou & Ioannis Theodossiou, 2015. "Join the Union and Be Safe: The Effects of Unionization on Occupational Safety and Health in the European Union," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 29(2), pages 127-140, June.
    14. Andrea Salustri & Marco Forti & Maria Alessandra Antonelli & Alessia Marrocco, 2023. "Accidents at work in Italy: an empirical analysis at the regional level," Public Finance Research Papers 60, Istituto di Economia e Finanza, DSGE, Sapienza University of Rome.

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