Developpement et utilisation d'un outil de calcul des couts indirects des accidents de travail base sur une cartographie des processus

Occupational injuries and illnesses represent a considerable financial burden for national health organizations, for injured employees and for employers. To foster the support of safe working condition by companies and convince them to invest in prevention, Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) issues, including the impact of injuries on the business productivity, must be expressed in dollar figures. In response to this need, researchers have conducted many studies on the cost of workplace accidents but OHS stakeholders still rarely use this information. The lack of consideration of this key information is related to the fact that the scientific literature has failed to provide OHS stakeholders with a cost-calculation tool that is both sufficiently accurate and does not require a data-collection stage ill-suited to the time constraints of workplace decision-makers.;This research’s main objective is to develop an indirect-cost calculation model adapted to field use by OHS stakeholders. Four separate studies were conducted. In the first study, the recent scientific literature is reviewed to identify factors that may limit the use of workplace indirect costs calculation models and to establish basis and criteria to follow for developing an indirect cost model suitable for the work environment. Using these basis and criteria and the data collected in 10 companies of various sizes in different industry sectors, an indirect cost calculation model using process mapping of the organizational response to a workplace accident has been developed and is presented in the second study. In the third one, the calculation model is used to qualify the impact of several variables on the indirect costs of workplace accidents to expand the body of knowledge on their characteristics. In the last study, indirect costs are related to risk levels as assessed by methods for analyzing exposure to risk factors associated with musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) so that OHS stakeholders can benefit, when evaluating workstations, from a dual indication about the risk levels faced by workers and the costs related to this exposure.;This thesis has enabled the development of an indirect cost calculation model that seems suitable for field use by OHS stakeholders in the 10 companies in which it was established. Indeed, the process mapping allows easy identification of the duration and frequency of actions taken by stakeholders when a workplace accident occurs, facilitates the collection of the information needed to calculate indirect costs and yields a usable, precise result. New findings on the variables that influence indirect costs are presented in the third study: a comparison of eight event scenarios shows that indirect costs vary depending on the severity and duration of the accident. Statistical analyses indicate that indirect costs vary significantly depending on the type and site of the injury. Linear regressions reveal that the number of days of light work has a major influence on indirect costs. The fourth study results show no significant correlation between risk levels as assessed by methods for analyzing exposure to MSD risk factors and indirect costs.;Ultimately, this research presents a new indirect cost calculation model well-adapted to field use that should promote the consideration of the indirect costs of accidents, which are crucial to prevention investment decisions. New findings on indirect costs and their characteristics should stimulate new research and foster the improvement of the tools currently available to OHS stakeholders to help prevent hazardous workplace situations in their companies.