This report discusses the validity of a Brazilian Ministry Decree that establishes standards for calculating a multiplying Factor for Accidents and Social Security. The index estimates the frequency, severity and costs to be accounted for in tax calculation. It multiplies tax rates due to work risks and may reduce by up to 50% the taxes due by companies that apply efficient collective methods for disease prevention. The method is analyzed for its consistency in selecting groups of morbidity used as a mean to build frequency, severity and cost burden vectors. The validity of the application of epidemiologic concepts to the economic activity that generates the specific morbidity is also assessed. The discussion addresses the antagonism between the concepts of traditional morbidity lists and the mobile epidemiologic criteria usually adopted to solve conflicts on the existence of a causal link amongst diseases, lesions, accidents and means of production. The floating groups of morbidity that reach significant 99% confidence intervals for epidemiologic risks above the null value _ 1.0 _ are supported. The conclusion is that the method is in accordance with epidemiologic requirements, as long as a systematic review panel assesses aspects of sensitivity and specificity. A warning is presented not to rely solely on methods as unilateral means of social action for evaluating, controlling and preventing the diseases associated with the means of production that are inherent to our social development. Methods are instruments that ought to be considered in decision-making and in the desired political action.
Workers' Health; Social Security; Taxes; Risk assessment; Cohort studies; Databases; Medical Record Linkage
