Bayesian risk analysis of municipal solid waste workers' occupational health and safety problems

A study of the risk of occupational injuries and diseases to municipal solid waste workers is reported in this paper. Using Florida Workers' Compensation data from 1993 to 1997. principal injuries among municipal solid waste workers were identified. The size of Worker's Compensation claims was found to have the lognormal distribution. The annual numbers of injuries and annual costs of Workers' Compensation claims were assessed by a predictive Bayesian adaptation of the basic compound Poisson model. The risk assessment indicated that Workers' Compensation costs for municipal solid waste workers in Florida average $10.2 million per year. constant 1998 dollars, and have a 5% probability of exceeding S38.4 million in any year. Fifty-two percent of this cost is attributed for injuries to drivers/helpers; Forty-four percent of the cost is attributed to strains/sprains. The total economic and non-economic costs for occupational injuries and diseases will be much higher than Workers' Compensation costs.