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Experimental and quasi-experimental studies were sought, dating from 1945, from any Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development member country (in any language) that evaluated the health outcomes of such interventions. Eleven highly heterogeneous studies that evaluated the health impacts of privatisation of building, water, paper, cement, bus, rail, mining, electric and gas companies were identified. The most robust study found increases in the measures of stress-related ill health among employees after a privatisation intervention involving company downsizing. No robust evidence was found to link privatisation with increased injury rates for employees or customers. In conclusion, public debates on the health and safety implications of privatisation have a poor empirical base, which policy makers and researchers need to address. Some evidence suggests that adverse health outcomes could result from redundancies associated with privatisation.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1136\/jech.2006.053231","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2007,9,14]],"date-time":"2007-09-14T17:29:13Z","timestamp":1189790953000},"page":"862-870","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":30,"title":["\u201cProfits before people\u201d? 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