Evaluation of the benefits and costs of occupational safety and health prevention measures.

Measures to protect and promote health in the workplace involve costs, but at the same time can reduce absenteeism, maintain work capacity, and increase productivity. On behalf of the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA), the IAW systematically reviewed the current state of research on the costs and benefits of work-related preventive measures.

More than 10,000 publications were reviewed for this scoping review. The analysis included 282 individual studies and 123 literature reviews. The study examined both traditional occupational safety and health measures and workplace health promotion programs, such as those related to physical activity, nutrition, and mental health. It considered health and work-related effects as well as economic impacts at the workplace, institutional, and macroeconomic levels.

The results show that preventive measures improve employees’ health and work ability and can also yield economic benefits for companies. These benefits are most often assessed in terms of absenteeism, productivity, costs and savings, or return on investment. However, the studies differ considerably in terms of their methods, interventions, and evaluation approaches. It is therefore only possible to make general statements about cost-effectiveness to a limited extent. Further research is needed, particularly regarding organizational prevention approaches and the effects on social security systems and the economy as a whole.

Report (in German)