Compensation Costs Research Articles

Thomas Brassey, the Hausenstein tunnel and the Swiss Federal Court

It has recently been suggested that the work of Thomas Brassey, a major nineteenth century contractor, is worthy of further study. Unfortunately he instructed that his papers should be destroyed upon his death. However court papers were published concerning his claim against his client for compensation for additional costs as the result of adverse ground conditions during the construction of the Hauenstein tunnel in Switzerland and his client’s counterclaim for the effects of late completion. These documents, along with a descriptive account written by the client’s former section engineers, enable a reconstruction of events placed in their geological and contractual background. The developing breakdown of the relationship between contractor and client is apparent. The content of the claim, counterclaim and court decision are summarised. Aspects of the character of Brassey revealed are found to differ from the descriptions provided by his nineteeth century biographer.

Regional electricity cooperation model for cost-effective electricity management with an emphasis on economic efficiency

Effectively reducing the total electricity cost while ensuring its overall efficiency is vital for the sustainable development of power systems. Herein, we develop a regional cooperation optimization model to enhance the existing power cost model. This is achieved by incorporating power trading scenarios and pollution considerations, leveraging the distinct characteristics of power generation costs from various sources. The developed regional cooperation optimization model simultaneously accounts for production efficiency and overall power costs, ensuring equitable distribution and compensation of benefits among cooperating entities. In addition, the key findings indicate that the interregional cooperation optimization model significantly reduces the total cost of electricity operations in China. Specifically, during the 11th five-year plan period, the total electricity cost in China exhibited a noteworthy decline of USD 50,876 million owing to multi-objective cooperative optimization, constituting 25.99% of the total electricity cost compared with the preoptimization period. This study identifies the eastern and western regions as principal contributors to the cost savings achieved by the interregional cooperative optimization model. Simultaneously, recognizing their significant contributions, it is recommended that the eastern and western regions provide additional cost compensation to other regions to ensure the long-term viability of the cooperative alliance.

The effect of age on musculoskeletal injury compensation costs in South Australian professional urban firefighters: A cohort study.

Firefighting is recognised as a physically demanding occupation involving exposure to hazardous environments and activities. An aging workforce combined with the age-related decline in physical fitness may result in increased future workers' compensation expenditure for fire service organisations. The objective of this research was to investigate the costs associated with musculoskeletal sprain and strain injury and the impacts of age and injury location on Workers' Compensation claims submitted by professional urban firefighters. Claim rates, direct costs, and days lost were extracted from a professional Fire Service organisation's workers' compensation claim database for financial years between 2011 to 2018. The mean cost per claim increased with age, with a mean claim cost of the 60-70-year-old group over 10 times more than the 20-29-year-old group. The mean days lost per claim were also higher for claims submitted by firefighters aged over 50. Older firefighters miss more workdays when injured and are associated with increased claims costs, particularly those in the 60-70-year group. With an aging workforce, Fire Service organisations must implement appropriate management and prevention strategies to reduce the potential risks associated with an aging workforce.

Injury Surveillance In Career Firefighters: A Retrospective Analysis Of Musculoskeletal Injury And Related Workers’ Compensation Costs

Injury Surveillance In Career Firefighters: A Retrospective Analysis Of Musculoskeletal Injury And Related Workers’ Compensation Costs

A study on the introduction of mixed payment compensation system through top-down cost information analysis in Korea

This study aims to identify the problems of the Korean health insurance fee system and to suggest a reasonable insurance fee construction alternative using the cost analysis data of hospitals. To this end, the characteristics of the medical fee payment system and hospital cost analysis were examined, and the cost data of one national public general hospital were used for the analysis. The cost allocation criteria were divided into labor costs, material costs, pharmaceutical costs, equipment costs, and overhead costs, and a top-down cost analysis was conducted. The analysis results showed that the cost was greater than the income in the case of outpatient and inpatient treatment performance, and the analysis results on the amount of physician workload showed that the relative value of physician workload calculated based on the cost was analyzed to require an increase of 1.52 times for hospitalization fees and 1.72 times for examination fees. The main factor affecting the cost compensation rate was that when the proportion of examination fees was high, the cost compensation level increased, while on the other hand, the cost compensation rate decreased as the proportion of physician labor costs increased or the length of stay increased. In order to resolve the ongoing complaints of medical service providers under the current fee-for-service system and secure the appropriateness of health insurance compensation rates, compensation for physician fees should be induced to realize the level of cost compensation through cost-based, per-service fee calculations, and the rationality of the payment compensation system can be secured by securing autonomy of providers through bundled fees for hospital costs and changing the payment method.

Managing the impact of workplace trauma for Australian first responders: Harmonizing policy and practice

IMPACT Workers’ compensation costs are rising for first responder organizations, and mental health issues remain a serious concern for their employees. While advocates have long called for wellbeing programmes to address these challenges, this article evaluates the actual impact of such a programme. The authors explore the influence of team belongingness and a supportive work environment. While workplace trauma significantly affects the mental health of frontline workers, those who participated in the wellbeing programme and had strong team and organizational support reported lower psychological distress. The article highlights the importance of multi-level wellbeing interventions for the first responder workforce.

Regional Differences in Carbon Budgets and Inter-Regional Compensation Zoning: A Case Study of Chongqing, China

Carbon compensation can guide human activities in reducing carbon emissions or increasing carbon sequestration and also represents an important approach for coordinating regional development. In this paper, Chongqing Municipality, whose internal development is varied, was selected as a case study. The annual carbon emissions, carbon sequestration, carbon deficits, and inter-regional carbon compensation costs from 2000 to 2021 were continuously estimated via local optimization methods, and a carbon compensation zoning scheme was proposed that integrates the present situation and trend analysis. The results show that (1) Chongqing’s total carbon emissions were greater than the total carbon sequestration, and the carbon deficit was approximately 556.24 × 104 t~3621.58 × 104 t. (2) County-level carbon budgets have large regional differences; the counties that should always receive carbon compensation are from the southeast and northeast regions, and the counties that should always pay carbon compensation are from central urban areas and the surrounding new urban areas. (3) All the counties were zoned into key payment areas, basic payment areas, key recipient areas, and basic recipient areas. The key payment areas, which account for 39.47%, maintain and grow payment status and are the main sources of carbon compensation costs, while the key recipient areas, which account for 44.74%, maintained a negative compensation status and a continuous downward trend, meaning that they may receive increasing carbon compensation costs. This paper revealed inequities in carbon compensation and proposed a novel zoning solution, which can provide scientific reference and data support for further establishing inter-regional carbon compensation mechanisms.

Optimal low-carbon scheduling of integrated energy systems considering stepped carbon trading and source-load side resources

Under the dual-carbon goal of achieving carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, the Integrated Energy System (IES) enhances the power sector's environmental sustainability by integrating multiple energy sources. To enhance the low-carbon utilization of IES energy, this paper introduces an economic optimization model that incorporates stepwise carbon trading and both source and load-side resources. Initially, the model integrates a Concentrated Solar Power Plant (CSPP) with a Combined Heating and Power (CHP) unit for bidirectional electricity-heat conversion, and incorporates Power to Gas (P2G) and Carbon Capture System (CCS) for carbon recycling within the IES. On the demand side, demand response optimizes the electricity-heat load curve. Subsequently, a stepped carbon trading mechanism guides the system in controlling carbon emissions and constructing a carbon emission model. Finally, the model minimizes the sum of energy purchase costs, carbon transaction costs, demand response compensation costs, wind curtailment penalties, and equipment maintenance costs to optimize the IES economically. By establishing five scenarios for comparative analysis, incorporating CSPP, P2G-CCS, demand response, and a stepped carbon trading mechanism reduces system costs, carbon emissions, and abandonment rates by 21.1 %, 30.87 %, and 23.78 %, respectively, validating the model's effectiveness in promoting a low-carbon economy.

Dam(n) Displacement: Compensation, Resettlement, and Indigeneity

Hydroelectric dams produce electricity, provide flood control, and improve agricultural irrigation. But the building and operation of these dams frequently involve forced displacement of local communities. Displacement often has an outsized impact on indigenous persons, who are disproportionately poor, repressed, and politically marginalized. One can limit these adverse effects in various ways: (1) taking seriously the ethics of dam-induced development, (2) rooting out corruption, (3) paying compensation at or near the beginning of dam projects, (4) using land-for-land exchanges, (5) disbursing resettlement funds as needed until displaced persons are firmly established in their new locations, and (6) having entities that loan money to foreign governments for power dams insist that a percentage of the loan be sequestered to cover compensation and resettlement costs. This sextet of sensible measures must, however, be applied to highly different countries and indigenous persons. This application will be unsuccessful unless these measures fit the local situations on the ground. This Article shows how one can succeed in two quite different countries–China and Guatemala–in which past efforts have proved inadequate. Maya Achi displaced by the Chixoy Dam in Guatemala are an “indigenous people” under any traditional definition. Ethnic minorities displaced by dams in China are not traditional indigenous peoples because historical narratives of outsider conquest and colonization do not apply to them. They are, however, indigenous ethnic minorities. The Han Chinese supermajority dominates, represses, and discriminates against them. China ought to treat them in basically the same way that other countries ought to treat their indigenous peoples.

Ergonomic Risk Assessment and Mitigation Strategies for Retail Workers: Insights from a Case Study in Dungun

Manual handling activities contribute to 40% of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), leading to long-term discomfort, disability, medical costs, and financial hardships for workers, while employers face lower productivity and compensation costs. An ergonomic assessment was conducted among employees at ABC Hardware in Dungun to identify ergonomic risk factors, determine the likelihood of harm affecting workers' musculoskeletal health, and recommend control measures to improve workers' health and well-being. Utilizing a combination of interviews, observations, and questionnaires based on established ergonomics guidelines, the research highlights the prevalence of MSDs among workers engaged in manual handling tasks, emphasizing the need for ergonomic interventions and awareness to enhance workplace safety and employee well-being. Findings from the ergonomic assessment revealed significant discomfort and risk factors related to awkward postures, repetitive motions, forceful exertion, and static positions. Specific ergonomic issues identified include discomfort in the upper back, thighs, and knees among storekeepers, and neck and lower back pain among warehouse workers. Service desk representatives were found to experience discomfort related to static postures and repetitive motions. The study recommends advanced ergonomic assessments such as Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA), Occupational Repetitive Assessment (OCRA), and Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA), along with improvements in ergonomic practices and tools. Implementing job rotation, providing ergonomic equipment, and conducting training on proper lifting techniques are essential to address the identified risks. This research highlights the critical role of ergonomic practices in preventing MSDs and improving overall workplace safety.

Encouraging sustainable health in work environments: Maitland technique for cervicogenic headaches

Background: Cervicogenic headache (CC) affects a large number of workers, causing persistent and debilitating pain in the head, shoulders, and upper back, resulting in high compensation costs. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the Maitland technique in reducing cervicogenic headaches among industrial technology workers. Methods: This was a non-experimental, longitudinal cohort study employing a quantitative approach, involving 26 industrial technology workers. An initial and final evaluation of the clinical presentation of cervicogenic headache was conducted, focusing on pain intensity measured using the visual analogue scale (VAS), cervical disability assessed using the neck disability index (NDI), and the impact of headache pain on daily activities measured using the HIT-6 questionnaire. Results: The results revealed a significant decrease in pain intensity, cervical disability, and the impact of headaches, with significant differences observed between the measurements of all variables (p<0.05). Conclusions: The Maitland technique, as a mobilization approach, demonstrated positive effects in reducing the clinical presentation of cervicogenic headaches among industrial technology workers. These effects were evident in terms of pain intensity, cervical disability, and the impact of headaches on daily activities.

Does compensating firms for indirect carbon costs work? Evidence from Finnish manufacturing

The EU ETS indirect cost compensation subsidy was given out in the 2010s to compensate firms for increased electricity costs caused by the EU Emission Trading System, with the aim to support the competitiveness of producers in the EU. This paper studies the effects of the compensation subsidy on firm performance empirically with production plant level data from Finland. There is no clear evidence that the electricity costs have in fact been higher during the subsidy period, and the way that the subsidy was designed was not efficient. Perhaps for these reasons, the results find no indication of improved firm performance for the subsidy recipients.

Impact of different CO2 price paths on the development of the European electricity system

In energy system transformation studies, the assumption of linearly rising CO2 prices is common and based on the decreasing issued European allowances (EUA). The actual auction price for allowances is influenced by market dynamics, resulting in non-linear variations in CO2 prices due to the possibility of banking allowances. This study explores the impact of non-linear CO2 price trajectories on the European electricity market. Various scenarios, such as increasing prices with the market interest rate, early price peaks, collapse, or fluctuations, are examined until 2030. The study quantifies the effects on power plant investments, profitability, consumer costs, and government revenues. The findings reveal that early and high price signals lead to an earlier transition with 7 % more wind power plants but at 4 % higher costs. Conversely, lower initial prices delay power plant investments in wind power plants by 6 % and result in 21 % higher emissions. Compensation for climate impact costs can yield a positive cost-benefit analysis in scenarios with early and high price signals when emissions are avoided through mechanisms like the Market Stability Reserve (MSR).

Court Decision Regarding Environmental Compensation Costs: Application In Environmental Restoration

Court Decision Regarding Environmental Compensation Costs: Application In Environmental Restoration

Групповые иски в Канаде

The article is dedicated to class actions and class litigation in Canada. Initially evolved from legislative sources of England and the USA, class litigation in Canada has received independent and original development. The profound reform in Ontario that took place in July 2020 made significant amendments to Class Proceedings Act, 1992, which reflect the latest achievements in the field of class litigation. The latest changes in this Act are analysed in the article. Moreover, the following questions are raised: certification and authorisation as class proceedings, necessary to confirm the group for class action, its multiplicity, necessary to form the class action, questions of preferability of group procedure (predominance and superiority) and native language in class litigation. Special point of research is question of costs in class litigation, which has peculiar features in Canadian class action law. They consist in refusal to compensate the judicial costs or in compensation by third-party investor company or by the state (state funds). These approaches offer a fresh look at the problem of compensation of judicial costs in class litigation. The experience of Canada can be used in certain boundaries in Russia.

Upright versus inverted catching and crating end-of-lay hens: a trade-off between animal welfare, ergonomic and financial concerns

This study explores upright versus inverted catching and crating of spent laying hens. Both catching methods were compared using a cost-benefit analysis that focused on animal welfare, ergonomic, and financial considerations. Data were collected on seven commercial farms (one floor system and six aviary systems) during depopulation of approximately 3,000 hens per method per flock. Parameters such as wing flapping frequency, catcher bird interaction, incidence of catching damage and hens dead on arrival (DOA) were measured and compared between catching methods. Ergonomic evaluations were performed via catcher surveys and expert assessment of video recordings. The wing flapping frequency was lower (3.1 ± 0.6 vs. 4.0 ± 0.5, P < 0.001) and handling was gentler (1.9 ± 0.5 vs. 4.4 ± 0.5, P < 0.001), both on a 7-point Likert scale, for upright versus inverted catching. However, more person-hours per 1000 hens were required for upright than inverted catching (8.2 ± 3.2 h vs. 4.8 ± 2.0 h, P = 0.011), with only wing bruises being significantly less common for upright than inverted catching (1.1 ± 0.6 % vs. 1.7 ± 0.7%, P = 0.04). Upright catching was 1.8 times more expensive than inverted catching; compensation for this cost would require a premium price of approximately €0.0005 extra per egg. Ergonomically, both catching methods were considered demanding, although catchers (n = 29) preferred inverted catching. In conclusion, this study showed animal welfare benefits of upright vs. inverted catching. Industry adoption of upright catching will depend on compensation of the additional labor costs, adjustments to labor conditions and shorter loading times.

Sales strategy selection for liner companies under shipping e-commerce considering canvassing ability competition

The rapid growth of e-commerce applications has promoted the establishment of shipping e-commerce channels by many liner companies in addition to their existing traditional Non-vessel operating common carrier (NVOCC) channel. Unlike NVOCC channels, shipping e-commerce channels guarantee shippers the availability of contracted container slots. However, some problems arise, including the competition with NVOCC channels, shipping slot sales’ risk, and the increasing liner companies’ costs. Therefore, this paper addresses optimal sales strategy selection in the liner transportation industry, including a single traditional NVOCC channel (TN) strategy, and a dual channel with both e-commerce and NVOCC channels (EN) strategy. Two contract scheme models are constructed considering the channel competition on canvassing ability, overselling behavior, demand fluctuation, and the limited liner vessel capacity. Findings show that the impact of overselling behavior on the profit under the EN and TN is not always negative, which is related to the shipping capacity and probability of the high canvassing ability. Comparative analyses reveal that the EN is dominant if the unit overselling compensation cost varies small. Meanwhile, the TN is profitable if the unit overselling compensation cost increases and the canvassing cost of e-commerce channel exceeds a certain value. Otherwise, the selection of sales strategy relies on the arrival rate, the canvassing cost of the e-commerce channel and shipping capacity. The results offer new insights to both theoretical research on container slot sales and the practical selection of sales strategy since shipping e-commerce has changed the slot selling mode in the container shipping industry, which could also enhance the competitiveness of liner companies in the container shipping industry.

Employee benefit availability, use, and subjective evaluation: A meta-analysis of relationships with perceived organizational support, affective organizational commitment, withdrawal, job satisfaction, and well-being.

Employee benefits constitute 38.1% of compensation costs, representing a sizeable investment in the workforce. Unlike other forms of support that depend on the actions of individuals throughout the organization, benefits can be changed through decisions at the highest level and influence employees throughout the company. Yet, the literature on benefits has been largely disjointed, resulting in theoretical ambiguity and practical questions about the role of employee benefit experiences in individual employee outcomes. To inform theory and practice, we organized the benefits literature using social exchange theory as a framework and conducted a meta-analysis on the relationships of employee benefit availability, use, and subjective evaluation with perceived organizational support, employee attitudes, and well-being. Our review (k = 134, N = 260,604) found unique relationships between the availability and subjective evaluation of employee benefits and affective organizational commitment, withdrawal intentions, job satisfaction, and well-being, with these relationships partially mediated by perceived organizational support. Benefit use contributed little to these outcomes beyond benefit availability and subjective evaluation. Benefit subjective evaluation was also more strongly related to most outcomes than were benefits availability and use. These relationships varied across types of benefits, with training benefits more strongly related to job satisfaction and health care and retirement benefits more strongly related to turnover intentions. Altogether, this meta-analysis integrates the empirical literature on employee benefits and highlights the implications of benefit experiences and types for the employee-organization relationship and employee well-being. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

‘Fire and Rehire’: Four Lessons from Australia

Abstract The practice of firing employees and then rehiring them in their same jobs on inferior conditions and lower wages (‘fire and rehire’) has emerged as a matter of acute political controversy. Its use in the United Kingdom has become even more controversial in the period since the Covid-19 pandemic. A brutal example of the practice was seen in the P&amp;O case, which could be viewed as an example of ‘fire and replace’ as well as ‘fire and rehire’. In March 2022, P&amp;O Ferries summarily dismissed 786 seafarers, setting aside £44 million to meet the anticipated compensation costs arising from its failure to comply with multiple employment law obligations owed to the crew. Approximately 100 of those dismissed were re-engaged on new terms, the remainder replaced by new crew engaged through agencies on inferior terms and conditions. This article addresses what would need to be done to ‘ban’ fire and rehire, and the related practice of fire and replace. It is argued that fire and rehire is a symptom of system failure which will not be addressed by sticking plaster solutions or by an unenforceable code, but by addressing the underlying causes. This means better regulation, treating collective agreements and contracts of employment with greater respect, better procedures for the negotiation of change, and more effective remedies designed to restrain employers from acting unlawfully. In addressing these matters we draw extensively on the experience of Australia where fire and rehire as understood or practised in the United Kingdom is largely unknown.

Aircraft-related noises increased but compensation decreased in Chinese airports

The rapid development of the aviation industry has brought convenience and noise hazards, altering the modes of travel but adversely affecting public health. Noise pollution is one of the essential factors affecting public health. This study offers a comprehensive examination of noise pollution data associated with the aviation industry, focusing on an array of airlines operating over 400 domestic routes within China from 2014 to 2019. It scrutinizes the noise emissions during the Lateral, Flyover, and Approach phases. It employs European Union standards to derive a formula for noise compensation relative to passenger volume, elucidating the quantum of noise indemnity allocable per passenger. (1) An upward trend in noise emissions is observed annually within China's civil aviation sector, with marked disparities in emission levels across various airports and airlines. (2) The mean annual value of noise compensation has shown a general decline, with China Express Airlines assuming a principal role in these compensations. (3) There is a correlation between noise compensation, noise emissions, and passenger volumes. Utilizing aircraft with low-emission and high passenger capacities significantly reduces airline compensation costs and safeguards the health of passengers and nearby residents.