A Review of Some Normative and Conceptual Issues in Occupational Safety and Health

Conceptual differences between individual occupational risks and group outcomes are described. Cost-benefit analysis, cost-containment approaches, feasibility analysis, and risk-aversion strategies insufficiently account for the normative principles of individual rights and the ethics of worker protection. Efforts to achieve job safety are a community interest and should strive for a more equitable distribution of intractable occupational risks.