Objective To describe distributions of occupational health costs of enterprises with occupational benzene hazard in Xianghe County, Hebei Province, and to evaluate levels of occupational disease prevention and control.
Methods A questionnaire survey on occupational health costs was conducted among 245 small and medium-sized enterprises with occupational benzene hazard in Xianghe County. Obtained results were used for statistical analysis.
Results The per capita occupational health cost was RMB 758.7 yuan. The overall occupational health costs of 245 enterprises amounted to RMB 2.372 million yuan, accounting for 0.6% of their overall annual gross product. The distribution of occupational health costs and its proportion to gross product showed a positive skewness. Twenty-three enterprises invested zero in occupational health, accounting for 9.4% of all enterprises investigated. The costs of detection and evaluation of occupational hazardous factors, occupational health surveillance, and occupational health training accounted for 15.3%, 17.2%, and 15.1% of the total occupational health costs, respectively.
Conclusion The enterprises with occupational benzene hazard in Xianghe County invest insufficient capital in occupational health, and their effort for prevention and control is generally on low levels. The limited funds for prevention and control are not invested in those sections with higher cost-effectiveness ratios. Moreover, their prevention and control strategies are not well-directed and fail to prioritize those important sections.
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