About $1,250 billion -- or 4% of annual worldwide GDP -- is absorbed by the direct and indirect costs of work accidents and occupational diseases, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO).
In an effort to develop economic indicators in the occupational health and safety field, The Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST) reviewed available methods for determining the costs of occupational injuries – and found nearly as many ways to classify costs as there are studies on the subject.