Abstract
The need to understand occupational hazards is clear enough. In 1980, 4,400 workers lost their lives on the job, over 5.6 million occupational injuries and illnesses were reported, and over 41.8 million work days were lost as a result of employment hazards (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1982). The optimistic expectations that accompanied passage of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act) — “a substantial reduction in work-related death, illness, and injury,” in the words of Congressman Carl Perkins — have not been realized. We have witnessed neither a gross reduction in work-related injuries in the last decade, nor has any study attempting to control for other influences on employment injuries found any significant independent effect of the efforts of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Atrostic, B.K. “The Demand for Leisure and Nonpecuniary Benefits,” American Economic Review (June 1982), 428–440.
Bartel, Ann P., and Thomas, Lacy Glenn. “OSHA Enforcement, Industrial Compliance, and Workplace Safety.” Working Paper 953, National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge, Mass., August 1982.
Blaug, Mark. The Methodology of Economics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1980.
Brown, Charles. “Equalizing Differences in the Labor Market.” Quarterly Journal of Economics (February 1980), 113–134.
Chamberlain, Neil W. “Some Further Thoughts on Human Capital.” In G.G. Somers and W.D. Wood (eds.) Cost-Benefit Analysis of Manpower Policies. Kingston, Ontario: Queen’s University, 1969, 230–248.
Chelius, James R. Workplace Safety and Health: The Role of Workers’ Compensation. Washington, D.C.: American Enterprise Institute, 1977.
Lester, Richard. “Shortcomings of Marginal Analysis for Wage-Employment Problems.” American Economic Review (March 1946), 63–82.
Machlup, Fritz. “Marginal Analysis and Empirical Research.” American Economic Review (September 1946), 519–554.
McCaffrey, David P. “An Assessment of OSHA’s Recent Effects on Injury Rates.” Journal of Human Resources (Winter 1983), 131–146.
Mellow, Wesley, and Sider, Hal. “Accuracy of Response in Labor Market Surveys: Evidence and Implications.” Working Paper 133, Office of Research and Evaluation, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Washington, D.C., December 1982. (Forthcoming in Journal of Labor Economics.)
Nichols, Albert L., and Zeckhauser, Richard. “Government Comes to the Workplace: An Assessment of OSHA.” The Public Interest. (Fall 1977 ), 39–69.
Olson, Craig A. “An Analysis of Wage Differentials Received by Workers on Dangerous Jobs.” Journal of Human Resources (Spring 1981), 167–185.
Rosen, Sherwin. “Hedonic Prices and Implicit Markets: Product Differentiation in Pure Competition.” Journal of Political Economy (January/February 1974), 34–55.
Russell, Louise B. “Safety Incentives in Workmen’s Compensation Insurance.” Journal of Human Resources (Summer 1974), 361–375.
Sider, Hal. “Work-Related Accidents and the Production Process.” Working Paper 117, Office of Research and Evaluation, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Washington, D.C., April 1981.
Smith, Robert S. The Occupational Safety and Health Act: Its Goals and Achievements. Washington, D.C.: American Enterprise Institute, 1976.
The Impact of OSHA Inspections on Manufacturing Injury Rates.” Journal of Human Resources (Spring 1979), 145–170.
Compensating Wage Differentials and Public Policy: A Review.” Industrial and Labor Relations Review (July 1979), 339–352.
Thaler, Richard, and Rosen, Sherwin. “The Value of Saving a Life: Evidence from the Labor Market.” In Nestor E. Terleckyj (ed.) Household Production and Consumption. New York: National Bureau of Economic Research, 1976, 265–298.
Viscusi, W. Kip. “The Impact of Occupational Safety and Health Regulation.” Bell Journal of Economics (Spring 1979 ), 117–140.
Wessels, Walter J. “The Effect of Minimum Wages in the Presence of Fringe Benefits: An Expanded Model.” Economic Inquiry (April 1980), 293–313.
Woodbury, Stephen A. “Substitution Between Wage and Nonwage Benefits.” American Economic Review (March 1983), 166–182.
U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Injuries and Illnesses in the U.S. by Industry, 1980. BLS Bulletin 2130, Washington, D.C., U.S.G.P.O., April 1982.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1984 Kluwer-Nijhoff Publishing
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Woodbury, S.A. (1984). Occupational Safety and Health Regulation and Economic Theory: Comment. In: Darity, W. (eds) Labor Economics: Modern Views. Recent Economic Thought Series, vol 4. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-5636-0_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-5636-0_11
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-010-8985-2
Online ISBN: 978-94-009-5636-0
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive