In his inaugural address the President, dealing with the subject of research in connection with climatic and occupational rates of mortality, suggested that the Faculty might consider the advisability of the question being remitted to a committee to consider and report. In consequence a Sub-Committee was appointed by the Faculty Mortality Committee on 21st November 1930 to consider the subject of extra premiums for occupational and climatic risks generally. The time therefore seems appropriate for the submission to the Faculty for discussion of a paper on this subject.
The paper falls naturally into two sections. Section I contains a summary of the work which has been done in the past, chiefly in this country and America : it is hoped that it will form a convenient source of information on the subject, and further, that it will be of use inasmuch as any new method should rest on the basis of a full study of what has been done in the past. It may be mentioned that no attempt has been made to criticise or in any way to indicate the value or otherwise of the studies summarised. Endeavour has been made to include all the more recent studies which have a bearing on the subject under discussion, but it is of course difficult to avoid overlooking some which should have been included.
In Section II consideration is given to the methods used in the past, particularly to those employed in connection with the Joint Occupation Study. This leads to the formulation of an object for the proposed statistical investigation, and attention is then given to the problems of attaining this object with particular reference to the needs and practice of assurance companies in this country. A brief description is given of how the proposed investigation might be undertaken, and the following subjects are dealt with :—
(a) the hazardous groups to be investigated;
(b) the methods of recording the data ;
(c) the methods of collecting the data.
The relation of the proposed investigation to the Continuous Mortality Investigation now proceeding and to any medico-actuarial investigation which, may be contemplated is discussed ; the suggestion is made that a comprehensive system of collecting the data should be instituted and that the information necessary for a standard, an occupational and climatic, and a medico-actuarial mortality investigation should be embodied on one uniform mortality card.
