Occupational health and safety interventions with economic evaluations: a systematic review

Reasons for the study

Before employers invest in workplace health and safety interventions, they want to know the financial implications of their investment. The goal of this review was to explore whether such interventions are worthwhile from an economic point of view.
To find an answer, the Institute for Work & Health conducted a systematic review of studies of workplace-based health and safety interventions that also included an economic evaluation. An economic evaluation is a study in which a researcher or decision-maker assesses the costs and consequences of a particular intervention and its relevant alternatives. This review sought to answer the following question: What is the credible evidence that incremental investment in health and safety is worth undertaking?

Progress

This review, completed in 2007, was unique in that it was the first to examine this topic in a systematic and comprehensive fashion. It began to fill a gap in the research on the financial merits of OHS programs. It also provided insight into which sectors and types of interventions need to include economic evaluations in future studies.