Theoretical and Practical Research on the Consequences of Work-Related Accidents Registered in the Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs

Abstract

In police institutions, the most frequently reported risk factors are linked to painful work positions, like sitting at the office for a long time, or other risks such as working with difficult or dangerous citizens, the risk of injury caused by motor vehicle driving during work, poor communication or cooperation within the organization, the lack of influence of employees on the pace of work or their working conditions, the pressure of time and the insecurity of the workplace. All these risk factors, related to how work is organized and managed, , sometimes cause serious workplace injuries and illnesses that can damage the mental and physical health of the policeman and result in both tangible and intangible costs for them and for the organization in which they work. The main reason for this study is the general lack of knowledge that police organizations have regarding the actual cost of occupational injuries. Because there is little available literature on the topic of police occupational injury costs, this micro study aims to scan the research available on macro studies regarding accidents costs and furthermore to analyze the frequency and severity of work-related accidents in Romanian police organizations by comparison with existing data on work-related injuries for all occupations at national level.  The severity and frequency variables presented in this study can be helpful in the future to calculate the total cost of work accidents in spite of the fact that statistical institutions and police organizations in Romania do not keep full records regarding injury costs.