Demands for multidimensional information on the work environment: A methodological framework for regular studies

Development of methodologies for making economic decisions on designing work environment studies is a theoretical challenge for researchers in occupational health sciences. There are well-defined tools available in the relevant literature for analysis of cost-efficiency associated with the assessment of an occupational exposure of interest. However, these analytical tools are not appropriate for holistic studies of the work environment as a multidimensional reality.

This article introduces an appropriate methodology for designing cross-sectional comprehensive studies of the work environment, in order to optimize the production of information on the psychosocial, ergonomic, and physical dimensions of the work environment in regular studies.

The employment of a translog cost-utility function is suggested as a suitable way to provide cost-minimized designs for regular studies which are aimed at providing or developing multidimensional information systems of the work environment.

The translog cost-utility function is not subject to predetermined restrictions, but has a flexibility property allowing it to be transformed to any specification that is adaptable to the specific work environmental characteristics and research requirements.

The translog cost-utility function is an appropriate econometric model for optimizing the production of multidimensional information on occupational exposures in regular cross-sectional workplace studies.