Obligations and Responsibilities of Civil Engineers for the Prevention of Labor Risks: References to European Regulations

摘要

Occupational accidents that take place in construction constitute an economic and social problem of the first magnitude. It is difficult to quantify the labor accidents on a world scale, as many countries provide no information to this regard. However, an estimated 350,000 workers die every year in labor accidents. Of these accidents, 60,000 occur in construction—that is, every 10 min a construction worker dies somewhere in the world (Lopez-Valcarcel 1994). Each accident is a tragedy that affects not only the worker but also his or her surroundings—family, friends, coworkers, etc. To these social costs, the following economic costs must be added (Niosh 2002): 1. Costs to the worker 1.1 Lower income (for not being insured, for the loss of other income beyond normal job), 1.2 Greater expenses (expenses for other family members to help the victim's family, uninsured medical, rehabilitation, assistance expenses, etc.), and 1.3 Lower quality of living (relapses, permanent disorders, complications). 2. Costs to the company 2.1 Costs from lower production, or from taking special compensation measures, 2.2 Costs from material damages, 2.3 Costs from guaranteeing the safety of the production system, 2.4 Costs of accident-insurance premium and compounded rates based on the number of accidents, 2.5 Variable costs of accident-prevention measures, and 2.6 Costs caused by personal injury: medical aid, sick pay, administrative consequences, salaries of the injured and others affected during the accident or temporarily stopped, interference from accident investigation, etc. Costs to the state 2.7 Lower income from taxes as a consequence of lower production, 2.8 Lower income from taxes from companies (lower GNP), 2.9 Greater expenses (medical coverage, rehabilitation, disability pay, etc.).