methods
Data were collected for the 11 social security offices (SSOs) covering 50 districts of Bangkok, Thailand, which consisted of all occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities, along with the costs associated with direct payment of medical and related claims by the WCF, Social Security Office of the Ministry of Labor, for the year 2008. This study mainly focused on the direct costs associated with occupational claims, in cases of both morbidity and mortality, in terms of medical expenses, rehabilitation costs, funeral compensation costs, and work compensation costs for lost earnings. In addition, the researchers estimated indirect costs of forgone earnings. All costs in Thai Baht (THB) were converted into US dollar values (US $) ($1 = 31 THB, as of 2013).