Characteristics and perspectives of occupational accidents involving aged workers in Korea

Recently, South Korea has suffered severe setbacks due to its weakened economy. In this research, the impact of these setbacks was reviewed, and the work arrangements and occupational accidents of aged Korean workers over the last five years were analyzed from the aspect of accident frequency, severity, and characteristics. The results show that most middle-aged and aged workers work in the manufacturing industry, followed by the public/personal service industry. Their employment rates were not much higher than those of the total economic population of the same age. Meanwhile, as many as 40% of occupational accidents involved middle-aged and aged workers, and the percentage of accidents involving aged workers alone is as high as 25%. Though it is often assumed that accidents would be less frequent but more severe as the worker's age increases, the accidents are more frequent and more severe. It is demonstrated that as years go by, the mean average of workdays lost increases regardless of age group. Major accident types are falling and slipping, followed by work-related diseases, and the proportion of slipping is higher than any other type of accident. Based on these results, it is concluded that accident characteristics reflect the domestic industrial situation of South Korea, and that the trend for these accidents to increase is likely to continue as the proportion of aged workers rises.