Work-related Diseases. Estimate of their Cost to the Economy, with Specific Regard to the Physical Burdens Caused

The paper studies the cost of occupational diseases and invalidity from a macroeconomic point of view, focusing on the link between workplace burdens and diseases, as well as identifying the cost caused by such workplace burdens. In a first step, it estimates the cost of spells of workplace-related illnesses, made up of a direct component (cost of treating the disease) and an indirect component (loss of production and of resources). In a second step it looks into the more long-term cost arising from the impaired capacity to work, investigating structural and financial aspects of invalidity pensions and pensions for occupational invalidity.