Special pensions for workers in hazardous or arduous jobs have long been a feature of the
pension landscape and, recently, they are the subject of a great deal of debate in the pension arenas of
many OECD countries. Such pensions are historically rooted in the idea that people who work in
hazardous or arduous jobs – say, underground mining – merit special treatment. The rationale for this
scheme is that hazardous or arduous work increases mortality and reduces life expectancy, thus reducing
the time during which retirement benefits can be enjoyed. This results in such workers being made eligible
for earlier access to pension benefits than otherwise available in that country’s general pension scheme...
