Affiliations: Department of Business and Economic Studies, Division of Economics, University of Gävle, SE-801 76 Gävle, Sweden. Tel.: +46(0)26648299; E-mail: madrei@hig.se
Correspondence:
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Address for correspondence: Mahmoud Rezagholi, Department of Business and Economic Studies, Division of Economics,
University of Gävle, SE-801 76 Gävle, Sweden. Tel.: +46(0)26648299; E-mail: madrei@hig.se.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: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. OBJECTIVE: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. METHODS: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. RESULTS: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. CONCLUSION: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.
Keywords: Occupational health risk factors, ordinal utility, quality criteria, economic decision, cost-utility function
