Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP3655
Authors: Jan Boone; Jan C. van Ours
Abstract: This Paper presents a theory and an empirical investigation on cyclical fluctuations in workplace accidents. The theory is based on the idea that reporting an accident dents the reputation of a worker and raises the probability that he is fired. Therefore a country with a high or an increasing unemployment rate has a low (reported) workplace accident rate. The empirical investigation concerns workplace accidents in OECD countries. The analysis confirms that workplace accident rates are inversely related to both the level of unemployment and the change in unemployment. Furthermore, fatal accident rates do not fluctuate over the cycle. We conclude that our empirical analysis is in line with our theory: cyclical fluctuations in workplace accidents have to do with reporting behaviour of workers and not with changes in workplace safety.
Keywords: unemployment; workplace accidents
JEL Codes: I31; J28
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| unemployment rate (J64) | reported workplace accident rates (J28) |
| reported workplace accident rates (J28) | worker's reputation (J28) |
| unemployment rate (J64) | worker's reputation (J28) |
| economic conditions (E66) | fatal accident rates (J28) |