Economics of notification and medical screening for high-risk workers

Measuring the economic impact of notification and intervention programs for workers at high risk of disease from workplace exposure has been virtually nonexistent for several reasons, which will be discussed, and should include a comprehensive view of costs and benefits. A framework for analysis is proposed defining four major clients: the business community, workers and their families, the local and regional public sector, and the federal government. For each client, the positive and negative, quantitative and nonquantitative, direct and indirect, short-run and long-run effects are probed and a summary analysis is made. To illustrate the process, the notification and screening program conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the Workers' Institute for Safety and Health, Augusta, Georgia, for workers exposed to beta-naphthylamine is described.