Assessing System-Wide Occupational Health and Safety Risks of Energy Technologies

摘要

Input-output modeling is now being used to assess systemwide occupational and public health and safety risks of energy technologies. Some of the advantages and disadvantages of this method are presented, and some of its important limitations discussed. Its primary advantage is that it provides a standard method with which to compare technologies on a consistent basis without extensive economic analysis. Among the disadvantages are limited range of applicability, limited spectrum of health impacts included, and inability to identify unusual health impacts unique to a new technology. The units in which risk assessments should be expressed and the differences in interpretation that can result from use of different units are also discussed.