17th International Mining Congress and Exhibition of Turkey- IMCET2001, ©2001, ISBN 97S-39S-417-4 Technical Efficiency Measurement and Occupational Safety Level. The Case of Greek Lignite Mining

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this paper is to measure technical efficiency in Greek lignite mining using not only conventional input-output data, but also mine accident data over the period 1970-96. Technical effi ciency is measured using the basic Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model, which takes into account con ventional data (i.e., real output, labor and fixed capital) and the number of disabling injuries. The latter are treated as input and alternatively as a joint 'negative ' output in alternative applications of the basic DEA model. In the light of the combined results, the treatment of disabling injuries as either input or output pro vides fairly similar results (i.e., for one and a half decades, the Hgnite production system at the sectoral level operated efficiently, reaching the maximum potential output level only over the period 1989-91 and in 1996)