Title: A decision support system for prevention and costing of occupational injuries

Authors: Marion S. Rauner; Michaela-Maria Schaffhauser-Linzatti; Johannes Bauerstätter; Bernhard Schwarz; Paul Harper; Klaus Wittig; Beate Mayer

Addresses: Faculty of Business, Economics, and Statistics, University of Vienna, Oscar-Morgenstern-Platz 1, A-1090 Vienna, Austria ' Faculty of Business, Economics, and Statistics, University of Vienna, Oscar-Morgenstern-Platz 1, A-1090 Vienna, Austria ' Vienna, Austria ' Centre for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15/1. Stock, A-1090 Wien, Austria ' School of Mathematics, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF24 4AG, UK ' Department of Prevention and Occupational Illness, Austrian Workmen's Compensation Board (Allgemeine Unfallversicherungsanstalt, AUVA), Adalbert Stifterstrasse 65 – 67, A-1220 Vienna, Austria ' Department of Statistics, Austrian Workmen's Compensation Board (Allgemeine Unfallversicherungsanstalt, AUVA), Adalbert Stifterstrasse 65 – 67, A-1220 Vienna, Austria

Abstract: Accident insurance institutions such as the Austrian one (Allgemeine Unfallversicherungsanstalt, AUVA) have been forced to introduce cost reduction programmes and prevention measures. For this reason, we developed sophisticated decision support systems (DSSs) from 2001 to 2012 during three projects for the AUVA. We apply complex calculation schemes with an underlying population model to predict short-term and long-term occupational accident costs on an individual case basis using micro-simulation. A further analysis of these costs help define risk groups which is essential to derive prevention programmes and their corresponding budgets. The AUVA's data warehouse is improved by better collecting and structuring data. We also integrate main cost components for companies where casualties are working and for the economy. For example, protection clothes or specific timing of working breaks decrease costly accidents. In the future, AUVA should focus on prevention strategies for traffic injuries, preparatory site operations, building installation, and other finishing trades.

Keywords: decision support system; DSS; occupational injury costs; prevention; micro-simulation; Austria.

DOI: 10.1504/IJDSS.2019.103638

International Journal of Decision Support Systems, 2019 Vol.4 No.1, pp.1 - 17

Received: 26 Sep 2018
Accepted: 26 Sep 2018
Published online: 18 Nov 2019 *

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