[Prevention of Occupational Injuries Related to Hands: Calculation of Subsequent Injury Costs for the Austrian Social Occupational Insurance Institution (AUVA)].
BACKGROUND
Occupational injuries cause short-term, direct costs as well as long-term follow-up costs over the lifetime of the casualties. Due to shrinking budgets accident insurance companies focus on cost reduction programmes and prevention measures. For this reason, a decision support system for consequential cost calculation of occupational injuries was developed for the main Austrian social occupational insurance institution (AUVA) during three projects.


METHODS
This so-called cost calculation tool combines the traditional instruments of accounting with quantitative methods such as micro-simulation. The cost data are derived from AUVA-internal as well as external economic data sources. Based on direct and indirect costs, the subsequent occupational accident costs from the time of an accident and, if applicable, beyond the death of the individual casualty are predicted for the AUVA, the companies in which the casualties are working, and the other economic sectors.


RESULTS
By using this cost calculation tool, the AUVA classifies risk groups and derives related prevention campaigns. In the past, the AUVA concentrated on falling, accidents at construction sites and in agriculture/forestry, as well as commuting accidents. Currently, among others, a focus on hand injuries is given and first prevention programmes have been initiated. Hand injuries represent about 38% of all casualties with average costs of about 7,851 Euro/case. Main causes of these accidents are cutting injuries in production, agriculture, and forestry. Beside a low, but costly, number of amputations with average costs of more than 100,000 Euro/case, bone fractures and strains burden the AUVA-budget with about 17,500 and 10,500 € per case, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Decision support systems such as this cost calculation tool represent necessary instruments to identify risk groups and their injured body parts, causes of accidents, and economic activities, which highly burden the budget of an injury company, and help derive countermeasures to avoid injuries. Target-group specific, suitable prevention measures for hand injuries can reduce accidents in a cost-effective way and lower their consequences.
Institut für Betriebswirtschaftslehre, Universität Wien, Österreich.
M S
MS
Rauner
AUVA, Abteilung für Statistik, Wien, Österreich.
B
B
Mayer
Institut für Betriebswirtschaftslehre, Universität Wien, Österreich.
M M
MM
Schaffhauser-Linzatti
D001317:Austria; D015984:Causality; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis / Q000191:economics; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D006230:Hand Injuries / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007346:Insurance, Accident / Q000191:economics*; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000191:economics*; D060051:Occupational Injuries / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014942:Workers' Compensation / Q000191:economics*